Chapter Text
“And this is your office, Dr. Dekarios!” Mayvyn said happily, motioning to the final door of the hallway. “I’ve loved being your travel guide, sweetpea, but I must get back to the library, or else I’ll be even more behind. Will you be okay settling in?”
“Of course, May, my old friend.” Gale smiled warmly at the drow woman. “I’ll find you before I leave for the day?”
“Please do! The staff is having a get-together tonight in the library to celebrate all the new educators joining us this year, you included. You’ll stop by, won’t you?”
Everything in Gale’s being wanted to refuse outright, but May looked so happy to extend the invitation, and upsetting his only friend on such a small campus seemed like a poor idea. “I’m sure Tara wouldn’t mind waiting for dinner a little later than usual.”
“Perfect!” May clapped her hands excitedly, small flowers growing and curling around her ears, something that used to freak Gale out in their own university days. “See you at 5 PM sharp!”
Gale watched her walk back down the hall, a small smile on his face as she was greeted by everyone she walked past.
Once Mayvn was out of sight, he turned his attention back to the empty office.
This was to be his home away from home, so it needed to be less empty and fast, lest he be left alone with his thoughts.
He started by unpacking all of his tomes from his bag of holding, organizing them onto the large bookshelf that covered the wall behind his desk. Each book had a place, a collection meticulously curated and chosen to cover a wide variety of topics. He also chose to put each book into place himself, grounding himself through repetitive action rather than waving his fingers and being done with the task.
After his books, he pulled his favorite chair out of the bag, scooting the given chair to the other side for students during office hours. It was perfectly serviceable as chairs go, but Gale liked to be comfortable and hated the feeling of leather, much preferring the softness of the purple blanket he threw over the back of the black fabric of his own chair.
After the chair and the blanket, the last things in his bag of holding were his ‘knickknacks,’ as Mayvyn had called them earlier in the day. He disliked that description though. These weren’t silly trinkets from his travels nor were they gifts from his family. They were things that proved his worth as a wizard and a teacher. His diplomas (four to be more precise) went on either side of the curtain-covered window. A few of his own journals that he was using for his current thesis were sitting on the side table next to the oak desk. Finally, the symbol of the Weave (of Her) went above the door, just out of his sight when he sat at his desk.
Once his bag of holding was unpacked, he sat at his desk and grabbed his non-magical pack. From it, he pulled out the gift from his mother, a small smile on his face
It was a black and gold nameplate to keep on his desk that his mother made herself. It read ‘Dr. Gale Dekarios of Waterdeep, Scholar of Evocation, Transmutation, and Conjuration’
His mother had been thrilled when she gave it to him, a large grin on her face and tears in her eyes as she squeezed his face. “You’re doing this for yourself. You got here without Her, my son.”
Gale shook his head, checking the time on his phone. It was mid-day, and he should go over his lessons before tomorrow, but he was growing tired (drained was more like it, overstimulated even) and coffee sounded much more appealing than rereading his own notes.
Gale thought back to May’s earlier tour. There was a coffee shop somewhere on campus, and it was good, if Mayvyn was to be believed.
He retraced the path in his head as he walked, thankful for his memory. While the campus wasn’t particularly large by any means, the buildings were old and looked similar enough that it would be easy to get lost, particularly if you were distracted by the trees that dotted the paths. It was going to look gorgeous in the fall or the spring, bringing new colors to a monochrome campus.
Eventually, Gale stumbled into the campus coffee shop, aptly named “Crazy Beans.” Because of course, it was. Gale rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself.
It was an adorable little place, if a little disorganized. The windowsill was scattered with plants from all over Faerun, cacti and orchids, and lilies. The walls were painted a warm brown with beige detailing. There was a cluttered, mismatched set of bookshelves in the corner, overflowing with books and scrolls. In the opposite corner, there was a set of shelves with items that didn’t seem to have a theme. There were teacups, a chess set, hand-crafted good luck charms, jars of honey, and some stylish scarves, including an orange, brown, and tan one that reminded Gale of Tara, the sweet tressym, each with a tiny, handwritten tag.
Aside from the pair of black overstuffed couches in the back corner, the tables and chairs were mismatched, but it all worked together better than Gale, known for his love of matching everything really, expected.
Most of them were full of students preparing for the dreaded ‘first day of classes.’ As he looked around, he could see quite a few students with the books he’d assigned for the summer readings. Technically today was still summer, so they were following directions.
Just past the tables and chairs, there was a counter with a flustered-looking purple tiefling behind it, both making drinks and taking orders. The line wasn’t long, though based on the amount of people inside, it had been busy moments ago.
He looked at the menu above the barista’s head, squinting briefly as he tried to decipher the swirling letters and symbols. Arcane glyphs were nothing compared to neon chalk and squiggle letters.
“Must you gawk in the middle of everything, darling?” A voice huffed from behind him. “Some of us want some coffee and not to just look at the pretty barista.”
“I beg your pardon!” Gale turned around, eyes wide. “I was just trying to read the cursive on the menu, is all. I apologize for being in your way but must you be so rude?”
The man was as handsome as he was downright rude. He was around Gale’s height, though he was lithe in a way Gale would never be, liking to cuddle up with a book far too much to shed the comforting weight around his middle. He had a damn-near-perfect head of snow-white curls that were the most intense form of pretentious dishevelment that Gale had seen in his entire life.
He had a silk shirt with the first few buttons open, a leather jacket open over it, and sunglasses hanging from his shirt, weighing it down to reveal even more pale skin.
His eyes were what caught Gale’s attention the most, however. They were blood red, though if they weren't filled with such deep contempt, Gale probably would have probably described them as rubies.
The man scoffed, rolling their eyes. “I must, darling. Now order your boring ass black coffee and get back to whatever boring ass thing you were doing so I can get back to my busy schedule.”
Gale flushed, in equal parts embarrassment and frustration, though he was saved from having to come up with a witty retort by the other man being called away.
“Dr. Ancunin!” a tall elven man with thick scarring over one eye and a tattoo over the other called, waving the tree trunks he called arms from across the cafe.
“Well, if it isn’t your lucky day, unpleasant one.” The man said, glaring at Gale one last time before moving to greet his friend. He threw open his arms and embraced the burly man with a loud laugh and a slap on the back, all evidence of his unpleasantness gone.
Thoroughly flustered, Gale ordered his bland ass coffee and returned back to his office with his tail between his legs.
A few hours later, Gale was sneaking into the library. He was early by a few (twenty) minutes, but he was so anxious to go home that he convinced himself he was going to be late to the party, even if it was only a few doors down.
He could hear Mayvyn chatting happily, no doubt to her owlbear companion Pip or her service dog, Scratch.
Gale was about to go in when a male’s voice replied to her.
“I see what you see in Halsin now, darling.” the voice drawled, sultry and damn-near obscene. “He sure is one tall drink of water.”
“Astarion!!” May squealed, followed by her deep chuckle. “I’m telling him you said that!”
“Please do.” Astarion purred. “I could use some… therapeutic release.”
“You could use some therapy, full stop, my friend.” May laughed again. “And while Halsin doesn’t mind sharing, I don’t want him to catch your cooties and bring them home to me.”
Astarion scoffed. “Rude!”
Gale was content to listen to their banter, enjoying hearing his old friend sound so happy, but the longer he waited to come out of hiding, the worse it would be if he got caught. He dusted his pristine robes and pushed the door in.
“Mayvyn, friend?” Gale called out, announcing his presence before he was seen. “Am I too early?”
“Gale!” May cheered, coming around a large bookshelf to pull him into the center of the library. Many of the study tables had been pushed together to form one extra long table. It was already covered in snacks, both store-bought and homemade. “Astarion! This is Gale, the new Magics teacher I told you about! Gale, this is my co-librarian, Astarion!”
“Good evening, Astarion. It’s a pleasure to make your aquitainc- oh bugger.”
When Gale dragged his eyes from his feet, he was met with the rudely beautiful elf from the cafe. Based on the smirk on his pale face, he was going to enjoy Gale’s discomfort far too much.
“Oh, dear. Astarion! What did you do to my old friend!” May whined. “I told you to stop terrorizing the staff, jackass!”
“In my defense, pet, I didn't know he was a staff member at the time.” Astarion rolled his eyes, examining his black-painted nails. “I honestly might have been ruder if I’d know though, to be fair.”
Gale was at a loss for words, though his checks burned under his beard.
“Astarion,” May growled, more serious than Gale had heard her since the time their college roommate came home drunk and covered in wood chips. “I know that this fake cruelty is how you communicate, but it's not as easy for everyone else to understand. Be kind.”
Astarion, surprisingly, did look slightly guilty, though he hid it with a haughty sniffle. “Right, dearest Mayvyn. Where are my manners?”
Astarion turned to look at Gale. While he did still look quite harsh, his voice was much softer and almost sincere when he said. “It’s lovely to meet you, Gale, my name’s Astarion.”
“Charmed,” Gale mumbled, still not meeting Astarion’s sanguine eyes. “Mayvyn, friend, I believe I must get home to Tara. She does hate being alone.”
The drow just nodded sadly, looking only mildly disappointed. “Of course, sweetie. Get some rest okay? And come find me or Scratch or Pip if you need any comfort tomorrow, okay?”
Gale nodded, not trusting his voice to speak anymore. He sped away quickly catching only May’s “You absolute asshole!” before the door closed behind him.
It wasn’t until much later that his embarrassment burned away into anger. How dare some snow-haired elf make him feel so insecure, as if he didn’t belong. He’s Gale of Waterdeep for Gods’ sake.
‘Dr. Astarion Ancunin’ he thought, as he drifted to sleep that evening. ‘You’ve just made one hell of an enemy.’
Let the games begin.