Jacob/Astarion/Rosita

[weaponwithoutpurpose]

It takes him about two minutes to both scout the place and find a river to sit beside, just like he said he would. He doesn't get out the fishing pole or anything too quick, but he does put Mae on alert, just in case.

He's going to give them a few minutes. Just like he said. Just like they talked about. He's not going to worry until that time has passed because they said they would come and he trusts them more than he trusts any other person.

Right now, he's wants to sit in the wind, the actual wind, and listen to the water, the real fucking water, babble by. He wants to bask in the outdoors and let Mae take over just a little bit of the guarding.

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[sixfeetofdirt]

"I'm glad to be here," he mutters, hiding his face against Rosita's shoulder. "Gods - it's been barely any time at all, Gale is still there, I just - I can't. I can't be in that fucking place any more. I can't be what he needs."

Not even for a deal. He can't let the Barge keep hollowing him out and remaking him, over and over. He's had enough. But it doesn't keep the bitter shame from his voice.

[handleyourshit]

Rosita would have focused them. She would have kept her eye on the prize of the soft place to land that they promised, if he took long enough to give them that chance. She doesn't have to now, though.

She curls her hand up over the back of his head, turns her own to shield him better, brow furrowing.

"Cariño," she murmurs, reassurance mostly, not trying to shush him but to remind him he's here with them. He's safe. "It's okay. It's okay. We don't belong there, we don't owe anyone anything, not a one of us. It's okay."

[weaponwithoutpurpose]

He shakes his head. "None of us. We were only there to get our asses in line and...find each other."

He steps back from them, keeping his eyes cast around. "Come on. We can talk more when we're sitting and settled for the night."

[sixfeetofdirt]

Astarion nods, retreats slightly - reaches up, embarrassed, to knock a few tears away from the corners of his eyes. Ridiculous.

Eventually it will hit him, he's sure, that they're here and solid and with him and this is the true start of their lives together. That they're aware from floods and death tolls, that this is...

...this is real. He doesn't have to just survive any more. He can live.

Right now he's still just waiting to wake up.

"You're right. Tomorrow we can work out where we are, exactly, and - yes." He clears his throat. "We can go from there."

[handleyourshit]

She will spend the rest of her life worrying about Astarion Ancunín, she thinks as she lets him step back from her. From them. She stays where she is, dropping her hands to her sides and then smoothing her palms down her thighs even though they're already dry.

She squeezes Jacob's arm, then looks around for where she dropped her pack. It's not far from them and she goes to scoop it up.

"We have time. I think that's probably going to be the trick: remembering that."

[weaponwithoutpurpose]

Jacob looks between the two of them as the rest of the world tunnels down to nothing except them. He has made his life about them, about this, because it's his choice.

And he will do his best to fix it.

"Come on. There was a good place up the river, across a bridge. Looked protected against the hill and rocks."

He reaches for Astarion's hand almost instinctively, trying to ground himself in this moment.

[sixfeetofdirt]

"I'll follow you. You seem to have the lie of the land. Aylin, darling-"

He makes a little tutting sound which seems to be understood as a cat-summoning noise.

"Will you be joining us, darling, or will you be embracing life as a wild animal?"

"Miaow."

"I couldn't agree more. You're exactly the right size to be eaten by an owlbear."

She submits to being gathered into his arms.