This is a critical role fanfic. SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 137.
Shadowgast is a guilty pleasure of mine and i have had this thought ever since the episode so i decided to write this. Hope you enjoy
As the heartbeat slowly fades the older drow ears he looks around in the endless expense. As his eyes drift from person to person his orbs land on an unfamiliar shape in the distance.
“Baa!” A noise finds its way through the endless calm and Essek refocuses to look at whatever made the noise and sees a... sheep? Why is there a sheep?
“Oh no,” Essek says when it finally clicks in his head.
“Yep, Caleb is a sleep,” The smaller then normal halfling says.
“I could try to reverse it when we get to solid land?” Essek offers but he doesn’t know if he can. These ruins have been horrible for magic. He doesn’t know if he is even powerful enough to undo it?
“Baaa!” Sheepleb bleats and he wiggles, giving himself enough momentum to get to Essek. Essek doesn’t know what’s happening until he has a face full of orange wool.
“Aww you look so cute Sheepleb,” Jester says, before she is dragged away so Fjord can look her over.
“Hello Caleb,” Essek says, reaching out to run a hand over the wool. It feels nice.
“Baa!” Sheepleb bleats butting his head into Essek’s hand again and again. After a few minutes later his nose starts to itch. He quickly sniffs which seems to only invite the ever-growing tickle to increase its intensity and he quickly wipes his nose on his sleeve.
He shakes it off, it's nothing. Just a reaction to the elemental's acid or something. But it keeps itching.
“Baa!” Sheepleb bleats and Essek finds his face buried in wool and now his face is itching now as well.
He doesn’t understand the only thing he touched was Sheepleb’s wool...wool...there’s no possible way that Essek can be allergic to wool...is there? Verin is and so is the Umavi. Essek himself has never had a reason to touch wool. None of the spells he used require it usually and normally when he is doing a spell, he has gloves on.
“Eh’kshew-! Eh’kSHew!” The deafening silence does nothing to help hide the fact he has just sneezed into former member of the Mighty Nein.
“Bless you Essek” Says Jester as she slowly drifts over to pet the oversized fluffy sheep. “I did not even think you could sneeze…y’know with the drow being resilient to illness and all that...”
As she rambles on the tickles increase with a vengeance and Essek ducks into his shirt to release a volley of new sneezes.
IK’tchu! ‘tchu!! haaah… aK’chhu”.
He should push Sheepleb away. Push him away and then explain more when he is back to normal. But looking into those eyes, the idea of making him sad even for a few moments is too much for him to handle.
So, as they all float towards the city he continues to sniff pathetically.
He knows that Caduceus has figured out what is happening to him from the smile the cleric is giving him. Essek hopes he’ll be able to help him. Finally, their feet touch down and he is helping Sheepleb get settled on the ground when suddenly he’s being bonked in the forehead by ginger hair.
“Essek, I am so sorry. I didn’t know the spell was ending!” Caleb says.
“I am alright. Are you?” Essek asks with a sniff.
“Ja, that was an interesting turn of events to be sure. I must learn to be more careful with my magic here. Teleporting was a very stupid idea but the only one I had,” Caleb says.
“Just be thankful that it is over now. And try to be more hiih-hih cautious with your spells in the future,” Essek says and because Caleb looks concerned, he adds, “But I am very glad that you are b-hiih-ack to your normal form. However, your sheep form was much cuter.”
“Is that why you forced yourself through an allergic reaction to me?” Caleb asks, with a smirk, and Essek feels his cheeks heat up and it has nothing to do with the ever-growing tickle in his nose.
“Someone had to make sure you didn’t wander off,” Essek says.
“In the Astral Sea?” Caleb asks.
“I... I’m just glad that you a-hiih...hah...snf! -are safe,” Essek says, through hitching breaths.
Caleb smiles with a half-cocked grin a face Essek as seen only a limited number of times. As the ginger reaches forward and places a kiss on the tip of his nose. Essek pushes him away and turns his head.
“hhiiIH- hiTt’ch!! It’khh! HeHh’ HiT’chhu!”
“Gesundheit” Caleb says as he pulls a silk handkerchief. “Here we need Ja in pristine health if we are going to fight this.”
