#twenty7knives

[harpershigh]

DON'T. PET. THE DRUID'S. WILD SHAPE.

[hercaress]

YES, THOSE ARE TEARS IN HER EYES. she won't admit it, but they're there, and she's doing her best to hide her emotions as the guildmaster approaches her. she's wearing a bright, beaming grin as she steps forward, pulling the other into a tight embrace. the city may be in ruins, but they're free of the elder brain's corruption. now they get to rebuild their home together.

" 's good to be back, " valhiri chuckles against nine-fingers' shoulder, finding comfort in the hug before allowing it to linger too long. when she pulls back, she holds the others' shoulders at arms' length, taking in the sight of her. what a sight for sore eyes.

there's much to be done, however, and valhiri takes a deep breath before looking around at the guild members as they trickle into the hall. " looks like we've got plenty of help to get things rebuilt... where shall we start, then? "

@twenty7knives 𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒅: " working together again, it's just like the old times. "

[harpershigh]

Extremely self-indulgent post-act III romantic fluff plotted with @twenty7knives

Jaheira had been watching from the shadows — or rather, from the cracks and crevices of the Guildhall, her small rat form scurrying unnoticed through the corridors. It was a useful trick, one she'd perfected over decades, but tonight, she hadn't needed sharp ears or keen instincts to sense the weight pressing down on Astele Keene.

The woman was tired. Not the kind of exhaustion that came from a hard day's work, but the kind that settled into the bones, that gnawed at the mind until it frayed at the edges. She had been pushing herself, either through duty or through some unseen burden, and Jaheira knew, just by looking at her — knew in the pit of her stomach — that something was terribly wrong.

Jaheira hoped that working with Minsc wasn’t the reason for Astele’s exhaustion, but deep down, she knew it likely was. And if that was the case… well, that was on her. So she better compensate Astele somehow.

Once she was sure she was alone, she shifted back, rising silently from the floor. A moment later, her arms slipped around Astele’s waist from behind, drawing her close with the care of someone gathering a fragile thing into their grasp. She pressed a soft kiss to the back of her neck, lingering, letting the warmth of her breath trail over Astele’s skin before she murmured, "You are working yourself to the bone again, are you not?" As if she was entitled to lecture anyone on that matter, but eh.

Her voice was low, concerned, but not demanding, as her fingers traced slow, soothing circles against her stomach. "Sometimes, when I feel like this... when my mind won’t let me rest, I sit, I breathe, and I let the heat of a steaming bath ease the tension off my shoulders."

A pause. The invitation was not subtle. It wasn’t meant to be. "You should come with me," she added softly, lips brushing against her ear. "Let me take care of you tonight."

[harpershigh]

🤍 + our favourite brooding wives, obviously

From here — Accepting

Who cooks meals for the other?

It's not that Jaheira doesn't trust Astele in the kitchen… But she cooks

Who spams the other with memes? 

Nine-Fingers is probably sending grandma memes with a message "look this is u :)"

Who likes to tidy around the house?

Nine-Fingers. Jaheira, mother of five, apparently believes "tidy" is a fae myth told to frighten messy children

Who likes to play pranks on the other?

They've perfected the art of taking turns being absolutely insufferable to each other

Who asked the other to move in with them?

No one ever actually asked because both of them were terrified of getting rejected. So it just kinda... Happened. One day they looked up and Astele had half of Jaheira's wardrobe, their toothbrushes are cozied up together, and the Guildmaster sleeps in the High Harper's bed more than in her own. But are they living together? Of course not. Don't be ridiculous...

Who is in charge of the music during a car ride?

After endless bickering and a skip war, they give up and turn the radio off

Who is more likely to tickle the other mercilessly?

Jaheira enters the tickling battle knowing she'll be the first to break, because she's at least twice as ticklish as Astele

Who needs to hold the other during scary movies?

They probably fall asleep in the middle of the movie anyway

Who has to help the other when it comes to technology?

Astele better know all of Jaheira's passwords, because she WILL forget them

Who likes to get a bit frisky in public / an inappropriate setting?

Nine-Fingers, probably is very fond of trying to get Jaheira flustered in the most inconvenient moments possible. Smirks, whispers, hands brushing just a little too low...

Who wakes up first, and do they wake up the other or let them rest?

I think once they sync their schedules they kinda wake up around the same time. But before that Jaheira is up with the sunrise just sitting there patiently, waiting for the night-owl Astele with breakfast ready

Who is always taking pictures of the other when they aren’t looking?

Nine-Fingers is out here snapping the most unflattering pictures of Jaheira and turning them into memes just to annoy her (while secretly having a shrine somewhere deep into the Guildhall full of candid photos, trinkets from Jaheira's hair and a candle that she never lets burn out)

Who always forgets their wallet and never ends up paying for anything?

Nine-Fingers definitely shows up with surprise gifts that have Jaheira side-eyeing, but she never asks where she got them, she's better off not knowing

Who can’t sleep because the other snores or moves too much at night?

They sleep in a big tangled cuddle pile, constantly shifting just a bit so the other is more comfy like two overachievers trying to out-snuggle each other in their sleep, and this makes everyone wonder how they can properly rest being like that

Who is better at video games, and do they let the other win or show no mercy?

Nine-Fingers definitely won't have any mercy while stomping the grandma in every game possible as revenge Jaheira won't send her any boosts in Candy Crush

Who always gets up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and accidentally wakes up the other?

They share the most poetic kind of insomnia as they're both ultra-light sleepers, neither able to sneak out of the other's sleepy cuddle trap without getting caught

[harpershigh]

Panic. Lots of it as her world suddenly grew smaller, going from being 1,90 to.. Barely 30cm? And to her horror, as Astele attempted to speak, only distressed animalistic noises escaped. As she looks down, she notices that she's no longer human at all.. She's turned into a raccoon. "Jaheira, I swear to whatever gods listening, I will end everyone in this room and then myself if you don't fix this right now!" except, it came out as only chitter once more. Jaheira better has the sense to use 'speak to animals' on her, or gods have mercy..

Jaheira tried to stifle her laughter maybe not as hard as she could have. Crouching down to get a better look at Astele, she tilted her head, genuinely debating whether she should scoop her up right then and there. She was sooooo cute like that. "Alright, alright, calm down," she said between chuckles. "Gale swears the polymorph wears off in an hour. And honestly? It suits you."

Then her chuckles turned into a wicked smirk. Oh, it was payback time.

Reaching out, she gave a slow, exaggerated scratch behind Astele's now tiny, fluffy ears. "Who’s a good girl? You are! Yes you are. Here, have a cookie."

[harpershigh]

"so.. that was hot." Astele says out of breath, covered in blood and sweat, looking at those who had fallen to Jaheira biting them in wolf form. She was entirely unaffected - obviously..

Jaheira shifted back with a swirl of green and gold, the Wild Shape magic fading to reveal her blood-slicked arms and crimson-soaked jaw. "Sometimes I think I ought to be more concerned by the things you find 'hot', Astele." Her smirk, however, betrayed her. She was actually equal parts flattered and amused by the things the Guildmaster finds 'hot'.

[harpershigh]

@twenty7knives

Jaheira's head turned as she heard a voice, shouts ringing from within the inferno that once was Waukeen's Rest. She didn’t hesitate and ran straight for the second floor, kicking in a charred wooden door. The explosion of heat and smoke hit her like a battering ram, sending her tumbling out the broken frame. She hit the ground below hard, the Bark Skin cracking against the impact, but held firm. Gritting through the pain, she yelled to Astele, voice hoarse from the smoke: "Don’t worry about me! Get them out of the fire!"

[harpershigh]

As soon as Jaheira stepped aside, Astele had cast Sunbeam and burned several opponents to mere dust. An improvement indeed, without the druid badly burned. Her druid, whom had taught her this very spell.

As their fellow companions scattered after the battle, Astele casually walked over to Jaheira, covered in sweat and grime. "You fought well, Harper.." No jab, just a genuine compliment accompanied by a half-smile.

Jaheira had just finished cleaning herself with a sponge and a bowl of fresh water she just created — not even close to a bath, but hopefully it was enough to take off the grime and soot from the battle.

Just the sound of Astele’s footsteps approaching was enough to bring a fond smile to Jaheira's lips. With a gentle wave of her hand, she cleared the used water and summoned a fresh bowlful.

"I could say the same about you, Guildmaster." Jaheira dipped the sponge into the fresh water and turned to Astele. Gently, she began to wipe the grime from her face.