Chapter Text
Beau had five missed calls from Mollymauk Tealeaf.
She’d turned her phone off right before her history exam two hours ago. She’d texted Yasha right before. A response to a picture of two new plants Yasha had rescued from the local hardware store. She had explained to Beau how you could tell by the wilting leaves that the roots were too cramped and needed bigger pots to grow. Beau nodded along and helped her carry them the short walk from the hardware store to Yasha and Molly’s apartment, which was already crammed with plants in every windowsill and corner not including their ceiling which was an obstacle course in and of itself if you didn't want to crack your head on a hanging pot. Hell, their tiny, cramped bathroom had more plants than Beau and Fjord’s whole apartment. Not hard, considering the only plant Beau knew about was a succulent Caduceus had given Fjord as a housewarming present which now lived on their kitchen counter and was watered occasionally with an unfinished glass of water.
Yasha promised to send her a picture once she “got the plants settled in” as she phrased it. They looked cute in their new terracotta pots, jammed along one of the walls of her bedroom. Beau had replied with a little green heart. She flipped out of their conversation and clicked on Molly’s name. The only reason they even had each other’s numbers was because Jester had added both Yasha and Molly to their already existing group chat after the game night.
Is yasha with you?
Missed call
Beau
Missed call
Please let me know yasha’s with you
Missed call
Missed call
Missed call
She double checked. No text from Yasha. She hadn’t even read Beau’s reply.
She called Molly.
“Is. Yasha. With. You.” Molly’s voice was serious and that scared Beau more than all the missed calls and texts.
“No. Molly, what the fuck is going on?”
“Fuck. Fuck .”
“Molly, what's wrong? Is she okay?”
“I don't know.” He took a deep breath, “She was gone when I woke up this morning. She shouldn't be by herself.”
“Why?”
“Did she seem off to you yesterday? Say anything about any plans?” He was talking even faster than usual.
Beau thought back to yesterday as she dodged hurried students on their way to class. She was due at The Blooming Grove in half an hour.
Had Yasha acted any different yesterday? They really hadn't known each other that long. Maybe a month. But, when Beau got off work Yasha was often there to walk her home. They were working their way through their favorite pop culture every Sunday night. Movies, tv shows, podcasts, books, music. She knew that Yasha merely smiled when Jester told a joke, but absolutely cackled at Molly’s antics. She liked to read, but preferred audiobooks so she could listen to them while working in the greenhouse. She almost never initiated makeout sessions, but was the first to let her hands wander under clothes and Beau always left with several hickeys she had to cover the next morning. She never talked about her family, or her hometown, or Zuala.
“Molly, where do you think she is? Why do you think she isn't okay?”
“It's the anniversary of Zuala’s death. She, um, she shouldn't be alone today.” Molly’s voice sounded calmer, but there was still an edge of worry under his words.
“Shit.” Beau let out a long exhale.
“Yeah.”
“Okay, so she doesn't have a car, which means she walked. Or took a bus.” Beau’s mind went immediately into ‘figure shit out mode’ making a mental map of the area surrounding Yasha and Molly’s apartment.
“There’s no way she would’ve gotten on a bus. She can barely be around that many people on a good day.”
“Okay, so she walked. She's been gone for at least 3 hours. She walks fast, she could have gone up to let's say… 10 miles away.” Beau checked the time. “Hold on, Molly. I’m gonna have to call you back. I have to call Cad and let him know I can’t come in today. After that we can get the group together, make teams, and split up throughout the city. We’ll find her.”
“Yeah. We’ll find her.” Molly echoed her before she ended the call. She immediately found Caduceus’s contact.
“Cad, I can’t come in today. It’s a friend emergency.” She didn't have to lie to Caduceus. He would understand. He knew that, most times, friends were family. She wished she could’ve said girlfriend, but they hadn't put a label on it yet. Beau, for once in her life, actually wanted to put a label on it, but now didn’t seem to be the best time to bring that up.
There was a moment of silence before Caduceus replied in his deep, slow voice, “I understand. But, if this friend emergency happens to be about the woman with two different colored eyes who always orders a lavender latte, then you may want to come in anyway.”
“Cad, what? Is Yasha there?” Beau immediately changed her path, making a beeline for the alley she used as a shortcut to downtown.
“She is. She's been here for over an hour. Asked after you.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in five.” She hung up and picked up the pace.
ysha blommingg rove
She figured Molly was smart enough to decipher her quickly typed message. She didn't have time to fix it.
Instead of skating around the side to the employee entrance, she threw herself into the door and let it swing open with her weight. A few customers jumped, but she looked past them and found Yasha sitting in the corner with a bright yellow mug sitting in front of her. Her head was tilted slightly down, eyes fixed on the table. Beau crept towards her, hoping Yasha would notice her and look up. Hoped she’d give her a smile. Hoped that Molly was somehow wrong.
“Yash, hey.” Beau wasn't sure the last time her voice had been that soft.
Yasha didn't move.
Beau put a hand on her shoulder. Yasha flinched slightly. It took a few more seconds for her gaze to meet Beau’s. Beau thought she’d feel better when she saw Yasha, could put her hands on her and know that she was safe. That she was okay. But as soon their gazes met it was clear that the woman in front of her was not okay. Yasha’s eyes were glazed over, it seemed as though grey storm clouds had fogged over her gaze.
Did she even know Beau was here? But as soon as she had the thought, something cleared in Yasha’s eyes. The clouds parted a bit. “Hey.”
Beau noted that she sounded confused, “Hey, babe, what's up?”
Gods, she sounded so stupid. What's up? Though she probably shouldn't start with ‘hey, I know you're sad about your dead wife, that sucks.’
“Hi.” Yasha breathed, barely a whisper. Her voice sounded rough. She took a sip of her tea and tried again, “Hi, Beau. How was your test?”
What. The. Fuck. Here Yasha was, clearly upset, clearly not all with it, and she had the presence of mind to ask Beau how her stupid exam had been.
“It was okay. I’m not worried about that right now though.” The ‘I’m worried about you’ went unsaid, “How’d you end up here? Molly’s worried.”
Oooof, nice one Beauregard, make her think it's her fault for grieving.
Yasha’s eyes went a bit wider and she fished her phone out of her jacket pocket. Beau got a glance at the screen, so full of notifications you couldn't read one before the next one popped up. It was mostly Molly’s name but she noticed her name, a couple from Jester, and even one from Fjord. She suspected the rest of their little group would have checked-in as well if they knew what was going on.
“I… I dont really know. I just started walking. Didn't think to tell Molly I was leaving.” She looked lost. Her hand hovered over her phone like it was a foreign object she’d never touched.
Beau kneeled down beside her chair. “Okay, that's okay, baby. I’m gonna text Molly and let him know you're safe. Then, we’ll do whatever you want. We’ll sit here or we’ll go get food or we’ll go take a nap or whatever.”
Yasha nodded like she wanted to accept, but then shook her head, “But don’t you have work?”
Cad chose that moment to head over. He gave Yasha a small smile, “How’s the tea?”
“Very good, thank you.” Her returning smile was dim, but sincere.
He nodded, satisfied at a job well done, then focused his attention on Beau, “Jester is coming in to cover your shift.” For the next part, he leaned in and pretended to fix Beau’s hair while whispering, “Go take care of someone important to you, Beauregard. That's the reason we’re here, to lean on each other.”
He gave Yasha one more big smile and then took his place back behind the counter.
Beau had never heard Caduceus use her full name before. It sounded a lot better coming from him than the asshole who gave it to her. She took a moment to feel grateful for the people in her life now, before returning her attention to Yasha, “What do you wanna do?”
“Can we go on a drive?”