TRP: Goro and Hansel (Hypothermia)

**IZZY**

[SETTING: Shepherd Hills, Day 227.]

For some reason, Hansel had thought that his fuckin' family
would let him help work around the farm.

He was fine -- he really fucking was -- so much better than
he had been before. A little lightheaded at times, maybe. He only admitted that
to Leigh, though, thinking Leigh would get it, and instead his brother
immediately fucking ratted him out and the next thing he knew, his mom and all
three kids were standing at the bottom of the ladder trying to make him come
down before he fell off the roof.

"I'm fuckin' fine," he insisted.

"The fuck you are," Leigh said. "Get outta
here."

"Listen --."

Then Mishka just cracked onto the roof and cracked him back
down, making him lurch and almost throw up, and Goro took this as proof he
wasn't well, like that didn't happen to him at the best of times.

(He went along with it, though, grumbling all the while.
Jonn hopped up on the roof to help Leigh while Mishka set to work cracking
reroofing materials up to them. Roddy was quick to put an arm around him for stability,
and Luci gave him a powerful frown as said a short prayer that eased his nausea
as Goro went ahead to open the door for him. It was kind of nice. He was
steadily learning how to let people do this shit for him without just feeling
guilty.)

Marion made tea and Goro fretted over him and told him off,
then left him with the others and rolled his sleeves up to go help Leigh, Jonn,
and Mishka. Hansel scooted his chair over to a window he could see the barn
from. He wanted to call out hey, take your shirts off! but unfortunately his
fuckin' brother and kid were out there, too, and that made him feel entirely
too fucking embarrassed. It was still fun to watch Leigh patiently directing
the others -- none of them remotely fucking built for this -- in what to do.

.

They came in sore but satisfied, and Hansel and Marion had
made a hot dinner for them, and they all crammed in around the little dining
table, and on the couch, and in the rocking chair, and Luci and Jonn ate up in
the loft. The house had never been so full. Hansel fuckin' loved it, and he
could tell his mom did, too.

A little later he and Mishka and Goro walked out to the
cabin to spend the night, after hugs and see you in the mornings all around.

The next day, they trekked back in through the early dawn
cold for breakfast, and after the chores were done and it'd warmed up a little,
Hansel informed Goro that they were going for a walk. Goro grinned and went
along with it -- probably, Hansel figured, remembering the last innocent walk
through the woods they'd taken. He snorted and didn't address it, just dragged
Goro out with a wave to the rest.

He didn't have any particular destination in mind, just took
Goro out along one of the many rough paths, an arm hooked around his shoulder
to keep him close to Hansel's side, where it was warmest. He would've been
perfectly content to walk in silence, with just the still-frosty twigs and
leaves crunching underfoot and the few brave birds chirping in the bare
branches above them, but he didn't figure it'd last long, with Goro. Couldn't
fuckin' wait for it, either. He leaned over to kiss the top of Goro's head
fondly, just thinking about it.

**LINA**

Goro wasn't fucking sure what all this was about--if Hansel
wanted to talk to him about something, or had something to show him, or wanted
to do things with him (neat), or just wanted some quiet time alone with him
(weird, but great). But he was content to go along with it. He wasn't a fan of
surprises, usually, but with Hansel it felt alright. Seemed like Hansel knew
him well enough by now not to try any shit that'd actually freak Goro out. So
Goro didn't need to ask questions.

Well, he kind of did. Had to say fuckin' something. It was
too damn quiet.

The fuck are those birds yapping about? -- Nah, he kind of
liked the birds. Was kind of starting to like the woods in general, honestly,
as long as he wasn't alone in them.

So, you think this is far enough out yet people won't hear
me scream? -- Nah, he didn't want Hansel to feel bad if he wasn't up for that
shit yet.

Feeling any better today? -- Yeah, actually. That one.

"Feeling any better today?"

**IZZY**

"Mmhm." God, fuckin' adorable that was the thing
Goro broke the silence with. Hansel kissed his head again. "Fuckin' told
you all, I'm feelin' fine."

**LINA**

"You were lightheaded and nauseous yesterday. That's
not fine, Hansel." Goro tightened the arm he had around Hansel's waist.

**IZZY**

"Psshh. Was only nauseous 'cause Mishka teleported me
around. That always happens." He conveniently didn't mention the
light-headedness thing. Fuckin' Leigh, snitching on him and shit.

**LINA**

"And the lightheaded part?"

**IZZY**

He scoffed again.

**LINA**

"Mhm. 'Swhat I thought. Should you be out here walking,
even?"

He'd only ask one time, and then he'd drop it, before Hansel
got too grouchy.

**IZZY**

"A'right, jackass," Hansel said, and the rest of
his response was pausing to easily scoop Goro up princess-style and keep
walking.

**LINA**

"Psh. Psh. God." Goro flushed a little, but he did
always fucking love this. He kissed Hansel's cheek. "Where we going,
anyway?"

**IZZY**

Yeah, there was the reaction he wanted. He grinned, pleased,
and said, "Dunno. Just wanted some alone time with you." That was the
hard thing -- he fuckin' loved having all of his family around him, but then
sometimes he wanted just one of them, or just Mishka and Goro, or just the
kids. He always felt a little bad about it.

**LINA**

"I mean, alright. Sure. If you say so." Goro
squirmed a little, not wanting down or anything, just... feeling squirmy.
"I did have this thought, like maybe you and me... we go to the cabin for
a couple days, and--" He snorted and hid his face against Hansel's
shoulder. "Ah, never mind, it's stupid."

**IZZY**

"Uh-huh?" Hansel grinned and shifted his shoulder
so he could look down to Goro's pink face. "Doesn't sound stupid to me.
Maybe wait 'til the kids head off, though, so they don't gotta wonder why you
disappeared all the sudden."

**LINA**

Goro snorted again. "Yeah. Yeah, that'll be good.
Listen, though. We gotta wait until you feel better, too, 'cause I got a plan,
and you gotta be up for it."

**IZZY**

"Oh, you got plans, do you?" Hansel gave him an
amused look. "You think you get to make plans. That's cute."

**LINA**

"Psssh." Goro flailed some, kicking his legs at
nothing. "Shut the fuck up. I got a good idea. Fuckin' listen to this. So
I'm like, this fuckin' woodsman or some shit, right? Just living all alone by
myself in my little cabin. And then one day this big guy comes by, all tough
and scarred and carrying all these weapons. He's got a mean look on his face but
he's real fucking sexy. And he goes, I need a place to stay. This is my cabin
now, and this is my half-elf. And he keeps me tied to the bed and just has his
way with me whenever he wants. What do you think of that?"

**IZZY**

"Mmhm." Hansel's grin widened. "D'you take
notes?"

**LINA**

"Pfff." Goro hid his face against Hansel's
shoulder again, grinning. "That's it. I'm keeping this shit to myself from
now on. You're on your own."

**IZZY**

"Nah, nah, nah, listen." He jostled his shoulder.
"Listen. I love it. Only problem, though, is I don't fuckin' buy you as a
woodsman. How 'bout this -- you're a lonely cleric who lives in the woods,
healing the town's farm animals, eh? Guy shows up injured and makes you heal
him after he fought a bear or some dumb shit, right." He kissed Goro's
head, and teasingly but affectionately added, "Look at you, having
fantasies and shit. Fuckin' great."

**LINA**

"Bah, I could totally be a woodsman. It's in the blood.
Gimme an ax, watch me chop some wood and shit. I'll show you." Goro kissed
Hansel's shoulder. "That cleric idea, though, I like that. What if... what
if I didn't heal the guy all the way, though? Made him stick around, depend on
me. Tables fuckin' turned, now. How about that?"

Goro wasn't expecting Hansel to go for that at all, truthfully.
Which was fucking great.

**IZZY**

Hansel gave him another amused mmhm at the woodchopping.
He'd take Goro up on that later, when they got back home -- they always needed
more firewood. See how well he did in practice. God, it'd be great either way,
because he'd either get to heckle and tease Goro over it or praise him if he
did a good job. And he was stronger than he used to be, now that he wasn't
carrying around the Leech. Could be hot.

"Yeah, y'know, s'too bad," he said idly,
"'cause that guy fuckin' got magic out of nowhere and he can heal himself
a little bit, now. Think you'd still end up at his mercy. Poor helpless
cleric."

**LINA**

Goro snapped his fingers. "Damn. Bet he'll even catch
me off guard, too. Sounds hot." He dragged himself higher so he could
nuzzle Hansel's neck, and nip him, too. "You tired yet? You can let me
down, you know."

**IZZY**

Hansel gave his mightiest scoff and hefted Goro up higher
for a moment to kiss his forehead. His arms were a bit sore, but Goro didn't
weigh that much. It was fine. He knew his limits. Didn't always listen to them,
but that was what he had his family for.

When he lowered Goro back down to where he'd been and looked
ahead, he realized where he'd been wandering without thinking about it -- the
path that'd been overtaken by blackberry bushes for years. It was still too
cold for them to've woken up from the winter, but the branches were as prickly
as always. Hansel nodded towards them.

"Hey. There's the blackberry bushes I told you about.
You wanna see the pond?"

**LINA**

"Ooh." Goro straightened up as much as he could.
"Yeah, I fuckin' do. And... hey, I don't see any goddamn berries on there.
Too cold still, or what?"

**IZZY**

"Yeah, it's fuckin' winter, still, krishi. We'll come
back in spring. Get some jam to take back to the castle. Here, gimme a sec."
He set Goro down, keeping an arm around him, to buttoned his coat one-handed.
The bearskin'd keep the thorns out of him -- he'd just have to pick the snagged
ones out later.

Then he scooped Goro back up without warning, hoisting him
high enough that he wouldn't get scratched, and started wading through the
bushes slowly.

**LINA**

"Oh, psh. Can't walk myself, huh? Gotta keep your
delicate little boyfriend away from all the prickles, do ya?"

He started to feel weird about talking shit, right in the
middle of doing it. I'm made of knives, he kept thinking. I got thorny skin
myself. We talked about this. Doesn't matter if I get scratched up; I'm not
soft.

But the way Hansel carried him, holding him up high,
stepping carefully to make sure even Goro's feet didn't snag on the bushes--

Well, it was like Hansel did think Goro was soft, and didn't
want him getting scratched up, and Goro wasn't sure what to do with that. It
felt weird, but good. Really good. Goro tightened his arms around Hansel and
pressed his face against the side of Hansel's head.

**IZZY**

Goro scoffed, but then he hid his face like he'd changed his
mind about it. Hansel wasn't going to drop him into the thorns either way, but
he hugged Goro closer to remind him of it, thinking about Goro asking if Hansel
actually liked it when he talked back. 'Course he fucking did.

"Yeah, well, my boyfriend ain't got a bearskin coat to
keep the thorns out of him." Hansel kissed his head again. They came out
on the other side of the bushes. "He gets one, he can carry me next time,
how about that."

**LINA**

"Deal." Goro took a look around as they emerged
from the bushes. He'd got a picture in his mind from how Hansel described the
place, and it was actually pretty close to what he imagined, even after all
these years. Pond a little more overgrown, maybe, a little more clogged with
reeds. Still pretty, though, even more so for the lacey patterns of frost along
the edges.

Peaceful. Quiet, except for a chattering bird. Goro gave
Hansel another kiss on the cheek, and looked back toward the bushes they'd come
through, keeping this place protected, kinda.

And he spotted something interesting. Squinted a little to
make sure he was seeing it right.

"Hey, put me down a second."

**IZZY**

Hansel obliged, giving him a quizzical look and being
careful to not snag him on any of the trapped thorns as he did.

**LINA**

"Close your eyes," Goro said. "Or just--look
that way a minute, and don't turn around." Seeing the look Hansel gave
him, he felt himself turning red again. "Sh, just, fuckin' do it."

**IZZY**

Hansel snorted and tugged him in by his collar to kiss his
forehead. "Yeah, yeah, all right." He turned his back and started
picking the thorns out while he waited.

**LINA**

Goro knelt down next to one of the bushes, checking over his
shoulder every few seconds to make sure Hansel wasn't peeking. Then he
carefully took one of the branches, knocking some old snow off it for a better
look.

There was a little white flower, all alone on the rest of
the barren bush. He smiled. Neat. Even in winter, it had decided it wanted out.

He grasped the branch a few inches below the bloom, wincing
and biting back a hiss at the thorns digging into his palm. Yeah, real romantic
gesture this would be. He bet Hansel would like it, though. Sap.

Goro twisted and tore off the piece of branch, then held it
up and twirled it around in his fingers. Had enough leaves along with the
flower to make it pretty, he thought. And plenty of fucking thorns.

He walked up behind Hansel, and reached around to hold the
branch up in front of him.

**IZZY**

Hansel gave a slight hm of surprise at the sight of the
flower. Huh. He half-turned to face Goro and carefully took the sprig out of
his hand -- it made him think of the blue flowers that always bloomed, no
matter what the weather was like, to point towards the Lady's home. He started
to say something about it, something along the lines of huh, magic flower
maybe? neat, but then he saw the little pinpricks it'd left behind in Goro's
hand, and he frowned.

"Hey. Jackass. You gotta be careful." He tucked
the sprig against his own palm, holding it lightly enough that it only stabbed
him a bit without breaking the skin, and pulled Goro's hand into his to rub his
thumb over the slight punctures, humming in concern.

The tiny wounds closed up under his touch.

"Oh, right," he said, mildly embarrassed, because
he knew magic was an 'only so many spells per day' sort of thing, and he'd just
wasted one of his on little pricks that weren't even bad enough to bleed.
"Forgot I could do that."

**LINA**

Goro knew Hansel found the accidental magic thing kind of
embarrassing, so he didn't want to make a big deal of it. But hell, that was
fucking cute, and he couldn't stop smiling about it. "You must've been
wishing 'em away, I guess. Gotta be careful."

**IZZY**

Hansel grumbled wordlessly, shifting Goro's hand to his
other one so he wouldn't have to drop it, and studying the little branch and
its unseasonably green leaves and stubborn early-blooming flower. There was
something magic about it, even if not literally.

"Well, anyway." He bent to kiss Goro's forehead.
"This is fuckin' great. Can't believe it's blooming this time of year.
Glad you spotted it, ahuv."

He turned, intending to wrap it around the center prong of
his trident, and only then realized that he hadn't brought it with him. Had his
axes on his belt, but he'd left the bandolier with both tridents and his shield
at the farmhouse -- or the cabin, one. Hadn't even thought about them. Great
job, commander. He snorted at himself, and elbowed his coat open to carefully
twist it around the head of the silvered axe, instead.

Then he paused, and looked up, and lowly asked, "D'you
hear something?"

**LINA**

Goro held still, and listened. He nodded. Yep. Fuckin' yep.
Something moving towards them, real quietly. Many somethings, even.

Fuckin'... fuck. Some deer, maybe. He could hope. And laugh
at himself later for getting nervous over nothing. He moved behind Hansel
anyway, almost instinctively--and remembered Hansel wasn't carrying his shield
today, for whatever reason. Shit. Shit. No, that wasn't gonna be alright.

He was gonna feel real fucking stupid if it was just deer,
but too bad. He prayed anyway. "Mask protect us," he muttered, and he
put his hand over Hansel's heart. A faint shimmering light flowed from his fingers,
spreading across Hansel's chest like armor. With that in place, Goro went back
to ducking behind him.

**IZZY**

The warmth of Goro's magic slipped through him, making him
feel sturdier, and even though Goro got behind him willingly, Hansel kept a
hand on his arm -- not holding him there, just urging him to stay where it was
safer.

He scanned the trees around them. Everything was still gray
and brown, touches of white snow where the sun had a harder time reaching to
melt it, all kind of blurring together as his eyes darted around. So he
stopped, and stared at a fixed place for a longer moment, then shifted to
another one, turning in a semi-circle and trying to catch movement out of the
corners of his eyes.

It'd stopped moving, now, though. Knew he was looking for
it. That made it harder.

Then, quietly, he said, "Wolves."

.

He nodded in the right direction. They looked scrawny from
the winter, pelts blending into the dead landscape. Four of them -- five --
fuck, there was a sixth. Entire goddamn pack of'em, closing in from different
angles. Too fucking smart, these animals, using tactics on them and shit,
making Hansel have to turn his back to the blackberry bushes to keep all of
them within sight.

They were hungry. Starving, looked like. Goro could dimension
step the two of them away, and Hansel thought that might be for the best, much
as he fuckin' hated to run from a fight, but before he could open his mouth to
say as much, the wolf that had crept nearest lunged for them suddenly -- and
Hansel lashed out a fist without thinking about it, briefly aware of an odd
itchy feeling climbing up his arm --

And a vibrant green vine covered in thorns whipped out from
his hand, striking the wolf in the side of the face. He grabbed Goro's arm and
took a step back, startled, but the thorns didn't hurt him. He could feel it
winding up his forearm, under his sleeve, and where it curled securely around
his wrist, there was a burst of little white five-petalled flowers --
blackberry flowers.

The wolf looked pretty fucking surprised, too, pinning its
ears back and snarling, but backing away as the others kept coming up to meet
it.

**LINA**

Goro almost would've wished for people, instead--people were
worse than animals, but at least he could read them better. At least he'd know
exactly what to do if people were sneaking up on them.

Wolves, he wasn't so sure. Well, probably the same kind of
shit as worked on humanoids--bring some fucking bolts of radiant light down on
'em, that kind of thing, but hell, there were a lot of them, and Hansel didn't
even have his trident--

Dimension Door, though. It was pretty new, and it always
took Goro a second to think of it. He could snuff himself and Hansel out of
there.

He started to wrap an arm around Hansel's waist, and one of
the wolves lunged.

And then--

Fuckin'--

The fuck. Hansel smacked it with the blackberry branch, or
at least that was what it looked like for a second, until it looked impossibly
like something else. Goro couldn't figure out what the fuck he was seeing, so
he just stood there for a second, gaping like a dumbass.

**IZZY**

Goro had grabbed onto him, but not done anything else, and
Hansel rolled his knuckles around the vine, glancing around at the approaching
wolves. All right. If he just had his fucking trident -- he didn't, though, but
he did have this fuckin' magic shit. He knew he could make and move around
water, but that didn't seem too fucking useful. He could heal, a little bit,
and he had this vine and his axes, but they were no substitute for a trident.

He needed something bigger. Something stronger.

Hansel gripped Goro's arm for a second and then stepped
forward, baring his teeth and snapping the whip -- that was it, it was a
fucking whip, not just a vine -- at the wolves. And he wasn't sure where the
motion came from -- just instinctive, or from seeing Jonesy cast, maybe -- but
he snarled and slammed his boot into the ground, and a crack of thunder pealed
out from him.

The good part was that it knocked the wolves back, sending
them yipping and scrambling back to their feet, crashing away through the
brush. The bad part was that it was fucking loud, and it fucking terrified
Hansel, too, making him stumble back and then drop down to one knee, abruptly
breathing fast and hard. Fuck. He shouldn't do that. He shouldn't be able to do
that.

**LINA**

Goro jumped out of his skin just about, then fell to his
knees, doubling over with the wind knocked out of him. Fuck. Fuck. Thunder?
Just from that? Just from fighting off a few wolves?

Not again. Not again. Too soon.

Hansel had dropped to the ground too. Goro crawled over to
him, reaching for him, trying to get a look at his eyes. "Hansel. Hansel,
look at me."

**IZZY**

Hansel tried to make a fist to ground himself, but the vine
withered in his hand, decaying off of him and turning to dust, and his
fingernails just bit into his palm. All right. All right. Something else. His
ears were ringing, and he kept trying to steady his breathing, but his vision
was closing in and going gray. Something else to focus on.

Something touched his arm and he flinched automatically, but
looked towards the contact and saw Goro kneeling next to him, looking
concerned. Had he hurt Goro? Fuck, fuck, he needed to run, needed to get away
before anything worse happened, but when he tried to push himself away he could
barely move. He didn't fucking want to run, he wanted to -- grab Goro, hold
onto him, settle, be all right --

There was thunder again, but it was -- quieter, further
away. Coming from the suddenly-cloudy sky, instead of from him. His fucking
panicking was making it worse. And the sound up above only made him shudder and
tense up, clenching his jaw and baring his teeth, cringing away from it. He
couldn't move. He couldn't fucking do anything. Couldn't control himself enough
to keep this from happening again.

**LINA**

Oh, no you don't, Goro told Gruumsh, if Gruumsh could even
hear him. You can just fuck the fuck off. Get outta here.

"Hey," he said softly. "Ahuv. Beautiful. Look
at me. C'mere, it's okay." He crawled closer, moving his hand up to
Hansel's shoulder, using a nice firm grip. Something that'd ground him. Hansel
was all frozen up, like he couldn't move, so Goro kept moving closer, slow in
case Hansel didn't want it, watching his reaction carefully.

**IZZY**

Hansel squeezed his eyes closed for a moment, focusing on
the feeling of Goro gripping his arm. Just that, and nothing else, not even his
breathing -- had to start somewhere. (Take stock, Elitash would tell him.) He
needed to calm down. Had to, because if he didn't, it'd get so much worse, and
he was already weak, and he didn't know how much he had left in him.

There was another rumble of thunder overhead, and he
flinched again and heard a small alarmed sound escape his throat. He was
losing, he was losing, he was losing --

Just as quickly, the sky opened up, pouring ice-cold rain
down onto them, and Hansel gave up on trying to calm himself down and just
clutched onto Goro, making tight fists in his clothes, hiding his face against Goro's
chest. He tried to tell himself he was safe, he was calm, he was fine; it was
just rain, just thunder.

"Clear skies," he realized he was whispering.
"Calm seas. Clear skies. Calm seas. Clear skies." The sky wasn't
fucking clear, though. "Calm seas. Calm seas."

**LINA**

"Calm seas," Goro agreed, whatever that fucking
meant. He held Hansel tight and kissed the top of his head. "You're doing
good. You're doing so good, beautiful. I love you. Stay with me."

He lifted his head and made a rude face at the sky, blinking
against the raindrops. Thought I told you to fuck off.

He was wasting his time with that, though. Better to focus
on Hansel, help Hansel through this. Goro kissed his head again and rubbed his
back. "I got you. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere. You're doing
good. You got this."

**IZZY**

"Calm seas. Calm seas." It was helping, and he
managed to gulp in a couple good breaths. As soon as he started to settle, a
little, though, he remembered why he'd started fucking freaking out in the first
place --  the thunder -- he'd fuckin'
made thunder, like Gruumsh was still in him, like --

He groaned and grit his teeth, pressing into Goro harder.
"Keep talking," he ground out. "Please keep talking. Just say
something. Doesn't matter what. Please."

**LINA**

"Mhm." Goro kissed his head again and tried
frantically to think of something to yak about. "Y'know, being out here,
getting all cold and wet, it's gonna make it that much better when we get back
to the house. I saw your mom was chopping vegetables when we left, I bet she's
making stew for lunch. She'll have the fire going when we come in, and we can
sit by the hearth drying off together while we eat. You know me, I'm gonna be
cold as hell, I'll probably need to sit in your lap. Will it work when you're
wet too, though? Hm. Maybe we should change first. Yeah, there we go. Change
into dry clothes, cuddle up in front of the hearth, let your mom bring us bowls
of stew. I can't wait for it." Another head kiss. Fucking rain, seriously.
Goro ground his teeth together to keep them from chattering.

**IZZY**

Hansel nodded along as he talked. Okay. All right. Yeah,
Goro was right. This was going to be fine, they were going to go home and warm
up, he would curl around Goro by the fire and Mishka would watch his back. He
was going to be fine.

Right now, though, he was just so -- so fucking cold. The
rain was freezing, pelting down on them. He could just about breathe again. He
could do something about this.

He pried one hand out of Goro's robes and stretched it over
both of their heads, palm up, shivering. He took the first deep, solid breath
he'd managed in a while, and concentrated, pushing the water away from them
until he stopped feeling it against his hand, then pushed further until it
split -- and the rain fell on either side of them, and the air was still frigid
and they were still drenched, but at least it wasn't fucking getting worse as
long as he concentrated.

**LINA**

"Hey, nice." Goro gave him several more kisses.
"See? I told you you got this."

It was still real fucking cold, though, and it was getting
harder for Goro to hide his shivering. He rubbed Hansel's back fiercely.
"Ahuv, hey. Uh. We should... we should get up, get moving. You think you
can do that? You feel ready? It's gonna be okay."

**IZZY**

Hansel took a few more breaths and nodded, still without
really lifting his head. He wished he could just fucking ... be smaller. He
wished he was easier to handle, less dangerous, wished someone could carry him.
Elitash used to, kind of, and Mishka could crack him around, but it wasn't the
--

Goro could do that too, though, he remembered.

"Can you --." His concentration slipped and the
rain started trickling in again, and he growled in frustration and pushed it
back away. He tried again. "Can you do the fuckin' -- dimension step
thing? Get us -- get us closer to home?"

**LINA**

"Um." Goro thought about it, and tried to figure
out a way he could say yes. Getting them all the way home--he fucking doubted
it, they'd walked a long way. Getting them part way...

He looked around, grinding his teeth again. He didn't have a
fucking clue which way was which. It was all misty and gray everywhere, and
Goro didn't have the best luck with directions even on clear days. Hansel could
point him towards the farm, but there was no guarantee Goro wouldn't teleport
them into a fucking tree or something, and that'd fuck them up.

God, he didn't want to say no, though. He wanted to help. He
just wasn't any fucking good at this shit yet. Couldn't do it like Mishka.
"Uh. I can... I can try." And then use up all the charges on the
Foxtail to heal them both after they were slammed into a tree. Yeah.

**IZZY**

Hansel sniffled and coughed, and finally raised his head,
and let go of Goro just long enough to wipe the water out of his eyes. His
teeth were chattering ; Goro's jaw was tight, like he was trying to hold his
own shivers in, but he was trembling a bit, anyway.

"M'kay." He leaned his forehead against Goro's and
wrapped his free arm around him again, keeping the other one overhead to deflect
the rain. He angled his head to the east. "S'that way."

**LINA**

"Alright. Um." Goro wondered if he should mention
the whole I might teleport us into a tree and it'd hurt thing. That might just
make Hansel more anxious, whereas if they got hit unexpectedly Hansel would
just be surprised and a little sore. That sounded preferable.

"Okay. Gimme a second." Goro held on tight to
Hansel, and he looked hard in the direction Hansel had indicated. Other side of
the blackberry bushes. He still had a pretty clear image in his head of what
the trail had looked like. Sort of. Where Hansel'd set him down for a second,
yes. Few hundred yards before that, not so much, since Goro had been distracted
by Hansel carrying him.

He bet he could picture it well enough not to hit a tree,
though. Just had to imagine the trail. Really concentrate. Maybe he could even
get them most of the way back, if he pictured an earlier part of the trail.
Back where they first started walking.

"Okay," he said. "I got this." Lots of
images floating through his head, though. Fucking woods, it all looked the
same. He was really nervous about the tree problem. He wondered if it'd be bad
enough to knock him out, and what then? Hansel didn't know how to use the
Foxtail, and he might not have enough magic of his own left to wake Goro up.

Goro was pretty fucking nervous, but he stepped anyway,
trying his damnedest to picture a clear spot.

.

They moved with a lurch, and Goro grabbed Hansel to try and
steady him, even though Hansel was heavy enough to take them both down. It was
alright. They got their footing. And they'd landed somewhere clear, so nothing
painful.

Goro looked around, taking stock of their surroundings. It
was familiar, which he initially took as a good sign, until he realized it was so
fucking familiar because he'd been looking at it maybe ten fucking minutes ago.

He'd gotten them to the other side of the blackberry bushes,
maybe fifty feet down the trail. That was it.

That was it.

Pathetic.

"For fuck's sake," he muttered. Then he said it a
little louder, as the despair really started to sink in. "Fuck's sake. Fuck.
Fuck." He sank down into a crouch, covering his head. "Oh my god. I'm
fucking useless. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

**IZZY**

Hansel bit back a gag at the lurch -- it was different from
Mishka's, quieter, softer somehow, maybe a little less sickening -- and lost
his concentration, the rain beating down into them again. He gave one violent
shiver and blinked around, realizing they were on the other side of the bushes,
not too much further.

Goro dropped down, muttering and apologizing, and Hansel
automatically knelt down next to him.

"Hey, hey." He scraped a hand across his face,
much fucking good as it did, then pulled Goro into his arms, shielding him from
the rain a bit. "Got us through the thorns. S'okay."

He shivered again, violently, water slinging off his coat.
It was getting soaked, rain leaking through into his sweater, which was just a
soft wool that'd get soaked soon enough itself. "C'mon." And he
couldn't remotely stop the shivers, now, just pulled Goro up with him, trying
to hold him under the coat, and started along the path. "C'mon. Gotta --
gotta get outta the rain."

**LINA**

Goro let Hansel pull him up and guide him down the path, but
he kept shaking his head. "Not okay. Fuckin'... you asked me for one
fucking thing, and I couldn't even... fuck." He squeezed his eyes shut,
shivering, pressing against Hansel, who wasn't even as warm as usual since he
was soaked too. Goro kept shivering and shuddering, scrubbing his face, fucking
miserable.

**IZZY**

"Yeah, well, I fuckin' --." He shuddered so hard
he almost lost his balance. (He was so fucking cold. They weren't going to make
it. They'd fucking freeze. God. Nope, no, wasn't thinking that.) "I
fuckin' got upset and called down a goddamn frigid storm. Don't fuckin' beat
yourself up over it."

The chattering made his tusk ache. Wasn't thinking about
that either. His breath was coming out in a cold fog as they reached the lake.
Fuck, it was still a long goddamn walk to the house, or the cabin, either, and
he couldn't fucking feel his feet. He'd broken through the frozen lake one
time, as a kid, plunged under the ice and struggled for breath against the
shock. This ... this wasn't that much fucking better, either.

He kept trudging along, but he could think of another safe
place -- a closer place -- just didn't want to fucking consider it. Not fucking
ever, and especially not right fucking now.

**LINA**

"Okay, but..." But nothing. So, they'd both fucked
up with their magic today, and now they were fucking freezing over it. They
weren't gonna make it very fucking far in this state. Stumbling like a couple
of drunks already. Goro couldn't fathom walking the whole way back, and he
didn't think Hansel was going to be able to carry him.

He wondered how long it would take anyone to wonder where
they'd gone and start worrying. How long before Mishka would come find them,
somehow. Could take fucking ages. Mishka might assume they'd gone to the cabin
and wanted some privacy, or something.

Fuck.

"Hansel." Goro tried slipping his arm inside
Hansel's coat, but it wasn't much comfort. His whole body ached from shivering
so hard. "I think we need to try and find a spot out of the rain. Make
some kinda crappy shelter, or something. We've gotta fucking get dry."

**IZZY**

"Yeah." Hansel swallowed. "Yeah, I
know." He clenched his teeth hard for a moment, then released so he could
talk without stammering. "C'mon."

He adjusted, angling east of the lake, trying to pick up the
pace and stumbling, but keeping on his feet. He tried to loop his arm around
Goro to keep both of them a little more stable, but they were both just fucking
shivering too much.

Past the brambles. They'd been cut back by someone, since he
was a kid. Made things easier. The pit in his stomach grew heavier.

Down the hill. Careful, careful, the leaves slick from rain.
Wasn't steep, but he slowed down more still, telling himself it was caution,
not nerves, not reluctance to go back.

But Goro was shaking next to him, and there was nothing else
he could do. They would just -- just fucking die, out here, freeze to death,
and he was a fucking stubborn bastard who'd all but dragged his on entrails
through the snow after fighting a bear, but he couldn't fuckin' take those
kinds of risks with his family.

The cold gray stones loomed ahead. He locked up. He couldn't
tell if it was terror or just the cold. Both, probably. He was so fucking weak
-- it was just a cave -- and all he could do was stare at it.

**LINA**

"Oh. Jeez," Goro said through his chattering
teeth. "This is great. You knew this was here?"

He took one lurching step forward, but Hansel didn't come
with him. Just kinda stayed anchored to the spot. Goro turned around to look at
him, and seeing the look on his face somehow made Goro's blood run even colder
than it was already.

"Hansel?" Goro glanced back over his shoulder, wondering
what the fuck was wrong with that cave. Was there some threat there he wasn't
seeing? "Hansel, what's wrong? What is it?"

**IZZY**

He just kept staring and shivering, barely hearing Goro at
first, then registering what he'd said. He was -- worried, or scared, and --
there wasn't any reason for that. Hansel was being fucking stupid. Just a cave.
Looked so fucking small, smaller than it had the last time, but they could both
wedge into it, and they had to, and it was fine.

"Nothing," he blurted, and forced himself to step
forward, catching up with Goro. "Nothing." He was going to throw up.
Fuck. Fuck, goddammit. "Nothing, nothing."

He dragged himself on to the black mouth of the cave, giving
Goro a light push to go in ahead of him, taking hard breaths of the cold air.
Clear skies, calm seas. Just a cave. He was fine. Calm seas.

**LINA**

Right, so--Hansel wouldn't fucking send Goro into the cave
first, or at all, if there was some kind of real threat. He was scared, but of
something that couldn't hurt Goro. Goro thought about that as he crawled in on
his hands and knees, blinking around in the darkness.

Small, but it'd do. They'd get out of the rain. That was the
important thing.

Whatever Hansel was scared of must've been in his own head.
Maybe a memory. Maybe something bad had happened to him here. For some reason,
Goro felt like he ought to know. There was something familiar. Had Hansel told
him a story that had a cave in it? He tried to think.

He turned around to beckon Hansel in after him. "Come
on, ahuv. You gotta get out of the rain. Come on. It's okay. I love you."

**IZZY**

Fuck, he didn't want to. He really didn't want to. He could
-- could make something up about going for help, claim it wasn't far to some
cottage, tell Goro to stay here and that he'd be back, then try to make it
home. Goro'd be safe in the cave; he'd be all right.

Except he wouldn't fucking be all right if Hansel fucking
froze to death in the woods, and never came back.

Don't leave me, Goro had sobbed, shuddering in his arms.

And Hansel had promised, I won't, I won't, and he meant it,
he fucking meant it, so he closed his eyes and ducked into the darkness of the
cave, going by feel with one hand against the stone ceiling. It sloped
downwards and he had to sink down lower, and for all he wished sometimes to be
smaller, he fucking hated this, hated having to crush himself down.

Hansel was afraid of his stepfather's voice, and becoming
useless, and losing his family. He was afraid of the sound of thunder and being
trapped in small spaces. He'd rather take his chances with the cold and rather
fight a fucking god than be here right now, but he pulled off his heavy sodden
coat, shaking, and opened his eyes again.

Before Goro could say anything -- because he was gonna ask,
Hansel knew he was -- Hansel managed, "I can -- t-try to pull the water
out of our c-clothes." He gestured for Goro to pass over his robes.

**LINA**

"Y'don't have to," Goro managed. Getting out of
the rain, being penned in by Hansel's body heat was making him shiver harder, like
his body hadn't even realized how cold it was before. "M-maybe just your
c-coat," he said, figuring Hansel would force himself to try, anyway, no
matter how worn out he was. "We can use it as a blanket. Warm up first.
Then do the rest."

Still had to get out of the wet clothes, though. Goro peeled
his off slowly, limbs jerky and uncoordinated. Being exposed to the cold air
didn't make a lick of difference. He was too cold already to tell.

**IZZY**

Hansel nodded, not bothering to try to talk. He squinted back
into the cave, leery -- it only got more cramped further back, but the further
away from the mouth they were, the more they were sheltered from the wind
blowing rain in on them. He kept a hand on the ceiling for some kind of
reassurance and push back, urging Goro along, wishing they had some kind of
light even though he could see shades of gray in the dark. It was all just flat
gray, even as his eyes adjusted.

He wrung his coat out as much as he could -- up toward the
entrance so the water wouldn't just puddle under them -- then moved back to
Goro to struggle out of the soaked clothes. He was just as cold either way, and
he knew the wet clothes would just keep him freezing, so they were fucking
useless; he took Goro's as well and piled them up between the cave entrance and
where they were kneeling, to act as something of an extra barrier against the
elements.

Then he huddled next to Goro, pulled in on himself and
ducking his head to fit, and started pawing at his coat, drawing little bits of
water out at a time and flinging floating streams towards the mouth. If Mishka
were here he could just fucking do this -- like he had on Raef's wedding, when
Hansel'd shown up still damp from the lake. He could just fucking do shit.
Hansel ended up with magic and it was fucking barely useful at best, and got
him in fucking trouble more often.

He shivered violently, and kept fucking trying, though.

**LINA**

Goro cuddled up against Hansel as best he could without
impeding Hansel's work. Was hard when he was still jerking all over the place
with uncontrolled shivers, but it sure beat sitting apart, with no extra heat
at all. And soon, they'd be able to curl up together under the dry coat.

"God, I'm glad you're here," he mumbled against
Hansel's shoulder. "Look at this shit. You've had this fucking magic
for... three days, now? Four? And look at you. First you save me from a bunch
of wolves and now you're fuckin' pulling water out of our clothes... goddamn,
that's crazy. You're a fuckin' magic man, alright. I love you."

It was hard to talk even that much. His breaths were coming
shallow. Be better once they could lie down, chest-to-chest. He whispered a
prayer for light and touched a rock protruding from the ceiling of the cave,
illuminating it, in case that made it easier for Hansel to work.

**IZZY**

Hansel grunted in a dissatisfied way. Hadn't fuckin' saved
anyone from wolves. Goro could've fought them off himself -- wasn't like he was
helpless, as protective as Hansel's instinct pushed him to be -- or he could've
just teleported away. This uncontrolled magic shit just caused problems. Making
it fuckin' rain indoors so that his daughter had to come clean up his mess,
fuckin' inviting Gruumsh right over with thunder. Stranding them in a freezing
storm.

His fingers were numb and shaking, and it made it harder to
control the water once he pull it out of the coat. He wasn't even doing much
good with this, now, but the bearskin was mostly dry, at least. He kept at it,
drawing out little droplets and flicking them towards the entrance, because if
he fucking stopped he'd have to pay attention to his surroundings, instead,
remember where he was, what was happening, and that he'd caused it, that this
was happening again and he'd caused it --

He sniffled and kept fumbling with the fur, searching for
damp patches with trembling hands.

**LINA**

The coat looked pretty damn dry by now, and Goro patted it
in a few places to confirm. "Hansel," he said, placing his hands over
Hansel's to try and still them, which didn't do much good. "Hansel, it's
dry, it's good. That's good. We gotta... fuckin' get under it, okay? Here. Lie
down. On your back." Goro pushed gently at Hansel's shoulder, knowing full
well it'd do fuck all if Hansel wasn't willing.

**IZZY**

Hansel shook his head, not sure if it was even fucking
noticeable through the shivers. Goro didn't understand. He needed to -- say
something, to make him understand, but that meant talking and he didn't think
he could. He just had to focus on something else until the storm passed, and
then he'd be fine.

(The first storm had lasted all night.)

He'd just stay awake. He'd keep watch. Keep dragging the
water out of their clothes to keep busy, let Goro rest against him and warm up
under the coat.

He made fists in the fur, staring down at it. How long could
he keep it up, realistically? His eyes tracked over to his wedding band, then
down to the Maskarran charm and the Sending bead on his wrist, the lightning
scars under them. Over to the other wrist, where a couple of the jade stones of
his vitality bracelet had gone black from Goro getting hurt.

This was more important. Surviving and staying safe with
Goro was more important than keeping himself upright, trying frantically to
stay busy, and just exhausting himself and making things worse by fucking
choice instead of accident. He could fuckin' feel bad and cry about it if he
had to, and Gruumsh could try to get in his head if it got that dark, but
Goro'd be there to help him again if that happened.

"A'right." He sniffled again, and shifted to lie
down the way Goro had tried to get him to. "Yeah. A'right."

**LINA**

Goro let out a relieved breath, disguised by how erratically
he was breathing already. He dragged the coat over his shoulders, and when
Hansel was on his back, Goro lay down on top of him, chest to chest, coat
covering both of them.

Right away, that was better. Goro sighed again as the heat
from Hansel's core spread into his own, and he felt satisfied he was doing the
same for Hansel. A good fucking trade. Goro kissed Hansel's cheek. "I'm
your shemesh, right? Let me warm you up. Close your eyes and pretend... pretend
we're in that cove again. Sunning ourselves on some rock, after we got done
swimming."

Goro kept shivering, but he hoped he felt warm to Hansel. A
frenetic little bundle of heat against Hansel's chest. Something he could wrap
around, soothe himself with, ease his own shivering.

**IZZY**

Hansel made an uncertain sound. Think warm thoughts. Right.
He could try. He slipped his arms around Goro and blinked a couple times,
intending to close his eyes, but when he did he just thought about that first
storm, the night he'd spent shivering and alone and sure his brother was dead,
sure it was his fault, scared out of his mind by the voice in the thunder.

He held Goro tighter. Should be a little warmer, but he
always felt cold when he got like this, and now he was actually fucking
freezing on top of it. Might not be enough. Might just fucking go cold for the
last time and Goro would wake up with a corpse, if he woke up at all without
body heat to share.

(Hansel whined lowly, back in his throat. Warm thoughts. The
cove, drifting weightless with Goro on top of him. Long, hot summer days
sparring on the deck of the Blade. Sitting in front of the fire at his mom's
drinking hot tea. Curled up in bed between Goro and Mishka at the castle, safe
and quiet. Falling asleep with Jonn cuddled against him, when he was little.
Warm thoughts. Warm thoughts.)

**LINA**

God, Hansel was fucking scared. Of what? Goro tried to
remember. A cave, in one of the stories Hansel had told him. Would've been a
story about his childhood, and Goro hadn't heard a lot of those, so that
narrowed it down.

There was the storm, the night before Hansel left home. When
he got stranded in the woods and heard Gruumsh's voice for the first time. He'd
hidden in a cave for shelter, maybe? That sounded right. Goro wasn't gonna ask
for confirmation. God, if he was right though, if Hansel had brought him to the
same fucking cave...

Fuckin' nuts. He'd done it for Goro, obviously. Done it to
get Goro out of the rain. God.

"Hey," Goro whispered. He kissed Hansel's face a
few more times and wiggled some, just shifting around so Hansel could really
feel his weight and presence. "Hey. It's okay. I'm here. You're with me.
Not alone. I'm not going anywhere."

**IZZY**

He managed a nod. He'd been staring fixedly at the stone
Goro had made glow, because at least it was light, at least it was something
different from last time, but cut his eyes to Goro, instead. Not thinking about
how it was his dumbass idea to come out in the woods in the first place and end
up putting Goro in danger, not thinking about how he should've stuck to the
well-traveled trails, should've paid more attention and not let the wolves
sneak up on them, should've asked Goro to teleport them away instead of running
on instinct and wanting to fight his way out, not thinking about the sound of
thunder reverberating out from him.

Not thinking about any of that. He's here. That was what
Hansel needed to focus on. Not why Goro was here, or that he shouldn't be, but
that he was -- that Hansel wasn't alone. He dug his fingers into Goro's back to
make it more real, and nodded again.

**LINA**

Goro scooted up a little further to rest their foreheads
together. "You're doing so good. You're so fucking brave, doing all this
shit to keep me safe. I love you so fucking much, Hansel. I'm sorry. I'm so
sorry I can't just fucking teleport us somewhere else." His voice almost
broke, and he ducked his head, moving his face to the crook of Hansel's neck.
"I can stay with you, though. I'm fucking good at that. Just sticking with
you." Shitty fucking concession, he thought, but he kept that part to
himself.

**IZZY**

He nodded. Seemed like it was all he was fucking capable of
-- his throat was tight and he felt like if he tried to force anything out it'd
be too broken to understand. Just kept clinging to Goro silently for a while
longer, pressing his cheek against Goro's hair. He shifted a little to breath
in the scent of it -- still incense, and cedar smoke from the hearth in the
cabin. Rain couldn't wash it away.

And Goro was right, that he was good at holding on. Hansel
had always assumed he was a hard fucking person to hold onto, because no one
had ever done it until Mishka, but Goro had learned how to so fast. He was so
good. Making Hansel settle and take care of himself, taking care of him on his
own when he wouldn't.

Hansel was still shaking, but it was more the cold now, and
it was steadying, a bit. He could feel the warmth of Goro shifting against him
and his fingers were starting to prick with painful sensation. He massaged them
against Goro's skin, making the feeling ripple. He was okay. He was calm; he
was a lake, and Goro was the sun, warming him and making him shine.

He sniffled again, and mumbled, "S'okay. We're okay.
Don't apologize. S'okay."

**LINA**

"We're okay," Goro agreed, with that little bit at
least.

Still felt like shit for fucking up the spell earlier. And still
fucking cold. Less the worrying kind of cold, the kind that fucked with your
head, and more just the kind that made you miserable. He still couldn't feel
shit below his ankles, and he couldn't feel his ears, and there were goosebumps
on his neck. He kept shaking, even though he was fucking exhausted and didn't
have the energy for it. Made him ache all over, and little whimpers escaped him
a couple times after some particularly bad shivers.

"I think," he said, "if we lie on our
sides..."

You can cover more of me that way, was what he was thinking,
but he felt fucking bad saying it. Hansel was cold, too. He was struggling.
He'd fucking dragged Goro to this place he was terrified of just to keep Goro
safe, and now he was having to endure it, and he deserved for Goro to just
stroke his face and whisper nice things to him and not fucking ask shit of him.

But... he was also a lot heartier than Goro, and he was
starting to move easier now. He would bounce back from this faster than Goro
did, most likely. And... he'd probably feel like shit if he realized later Goro
was just letting himself suffer while Hansel warmed up.

He always wanted Goro to just ask for what he wanted, god
damn it.

"Maybe we should lie on our sides," he tried.
"I think it'll--it'll warm me up faster."

**IZZY**

Hansel nodded again. Without even thinking about it he
shifted onto his side, keeping Goro's skin tight against his so none of the
meager fucking heat they'd managed to gather would be lost -- pulling his legs
up to hook one over Goro, hold as much of them together as he could. He
remembered hearing that it was important to keep your head covered when you
were cold, so he slipped the arm that was under Goro, now, up to cup the back
of his head and tuck him under Hansel's chin. It wasn't much, but maybe it'd
help.

He was still trembling, teeth chattering painfully, but he
always ran hot -- maybe it was an orc thing, or maybe it was just him, he
didn't know -- and it didn't seem like Goro was doing much better. If he just
fucking had some fire magic instead of useless fucking --

Not helpful. He grit his teeth together to quell the
chattering for a moment, and squeezed Goro against him. "Got you," he
whispered. "Got you."

**LINA**

Hansel held him tight, but Goro managed to work his arms
free and wrap them around so he could rub Hansel's back. Felt clammy, and dirty
from lying on the cave floor. Goro brushed some of the dirt off as he moved his
hands around. Fuckin' wished he were the bigger one, so he could wrap Hansel
up, warm every inch of him at once.

"Man," he muttered. "I'm half wood elf. Seems
like I should be better at... woods."

**IZZY**

Hansel scoffed into Goro's hair, then sniffled again. He
wasn't sure if his nose was running and his eyes were watering from the cold or
just from fuckin' emotions. Normally he'd try to claim it was all the cold, but
he didn't have much of a fucking defense when Goro had seen him shaking and
trying to not sob not too long ago.

Which was ... fine, he guessed, anyway. He didn't need to
defend himself. It was safe.

"Yeah, well," he mumbled, "I'm half orc,
you'd think I'd be fuckin' better at orc gods."

Elitash'd laugh at him. He'd said he was barely an orc,
plenty of times, because of how he grew up around humans, didn't even know
orcish 'til she'd taught him. Shit, he'd learned dwarvish before orcish. She'd
said it didn't work that way, though. He guessed fuckin' Gruumsh agreed.

**LINA**

Goro snorted. "I wonder if our dads..." He paused,
thinking this might be too ridiculous to say. He decided he was too cold and
drowsy to stop himself. "If they're up there, in whatever afterlife,
going, hah. Look at those couple'a sods. Look what they got themselves into
this time. I bet they could be buddies, laughing at us."

**IZZY**

"Psshh." It was a nice thought, somehow. Hansel
didn't know a fucking thing about Yehuda, and Goro didn't know a fucking thing
about Luka, but it was nice to imagine them getting along. Easier, not knowing
them, in a way, like it'd been easier not knowing about Yehuda at all.

He made a quiet sound of agreement. "Maybe Silvanus
got'em both. Yeah." A hard shiver ran through him, and he grit his teeth
against it. "Hope so."

**LINA**

Goro rubbed Hansel's back more vigorously in response to the
shiver. "Mm. Mhm." Was a nice fucking thought. Weirdly comforting.

He'd been wondering if he'd be able to find out which god
Luka had followed. He hoped he would. Jasmilia would know, but fuck Jasmilia.
Goro'd try to find someone else who knew him. If he were in fact a follower of
Silvanus, Goro would be able to visit that sanctuary, find out how to give him
a proper burial. That'd feel good.

Thinking about Silvanus reminded him of something else.
Another thought that had passed through his head earlier, but been tossed aside
when more pressing shit arose.

"Hansel," he said, "are you a fucking
druid?"

**IZZY**

"Iuno."

**LINA**

"The fuck you mean, iuno?"

**IZZY**

He shrugged one shoulder, which was just about discernable
from the shivers. "I mean I don't fuckin' know." He sniffled.
"How'd I know?"

**LINA**

Goro kissed Hansel's chest a few times. Had to remember to
go easy on him. He was freaked out by his own magic, and it made Goro just want
to hold his hand and walk him through it gently.

"Dunno how you could know for sure," Goro
admitted. "Talk to another druid, maybe. There's that one who lives in the
woods, right? Shit, though. What you did with that blackberry branch. That was
some druid shit if I ever saw it."

It had been incredible. Beautiful. Goro kept those thoughts
to himself for now, figuring Hansel wasn't in any place to agree with him.

**IZZY**

"Oh." Hansel hadn't fucking thought about the
blackberry sprig having anything to do with the whip -- recognized the flowers
around his wrist, but hadn't really had the fucking time to think about them
being connected. He knew that magic usually needed some kind of focus, like a
staff or a crystal, and he'd been doing shit without one. Maybe he couldn't do
the vine thing without the blackberry branch.

He kind of wanted to try it out. But what if he accidentally
did the fuckin' thunder thing again? Hadn't done that before getting the
blackberry sprig, either. How was he even supposed to know how much fucking
magic he had left, anyway? It was too fucking much. Just fucking stressed him
out.

He pressed his face into Goro's hair again and let out a
breath. Better. All right. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Guess I can talk
to the Lady. Hadn't thought about that."

**LINA**

"I could go with you, if you want," Goro offered,
without really thinking about it. Without having the time to worry that he was
fucking imposing, or whatever. Maybe that possibility just felt too remote when
Hansel was clutching him like a life preserver. Goro kept rubbing his back.

**IZZY**

"Yeah." He nodded, thinking. He hadn't had a
chance to talk to her, last time, when he'd been fucked up by the bear and lost
consciousness. Mishka'd passed on what he'd asked her, but Hansel wondered if
he might be able to get more information about his dad from her. She wasn't a
talkative fuckin' person, and he thought she might've brushed Mishka off a bit.

Weird thing, though. He was just taking for granted that he
might be able to get more out of her, 'cause ... "Y'know. She doesn't
really fuckin' like people, but she always seemed all right t'me. Wonder if she
could fuckin' ... tell I was gonna be a druid, or -- could be a druid, or ...
something. Dunno."

**LINA**

"Mm." Goro grinned. His teeth had finally stopped
chattering. "Druid boyfriend. Sexy. I always wanted one of those."

**IZZY**

Hansel snorted. "Yeah? Guess Serena was fuckin' looking
out for you, too, then."

**LINA**

"Really?" Goro turned his face up toward the
ceiling and stopped rubbing Hansel's back long enough to point a finger at the
sky. He clicked his tongue. "Thanks, babe."

**IZZY**

He snorted again. God, Serena would fuckin' hate Goro. But
just in the way she'd acted like she hated Hansel, after she didn't anymore.

Eldath, he really fucking wish the crew of the Blade
could've met the Runners. Eli would've found Goro fucking hilarious and
precious. Hunter would've fit right in with Larkin and Raef. He could picture
Chirp and Roddy playing music together without even trying.

He sighed quietly into Goro's hair. It wasn't going to
happen again. Wasn't going to happen again. Maybe that was all Serena wanted --
maybe it wasn't even about helping Hansel, who'd killed her, or Mishka, who'd
doomed her by not listening to her warnings -- maybe it was just about making
sure an awful thing didn't fucking happen again. He could live with that.

"She'd've liked you," he mumbled. "Been real
fuckin' annoyed about it. But she would've."

**LINA**

"Selunites are real stuck up," Goro said, then
remembered he'd resolved not to say that last time he thought it, for a variety
of reasons. "Ah. Fuck. That was, um... I didn't mean that."

**IZZY**

"Pfff. Hey. That's my fuckin' god you're talking about,
there," Hansel commented. "Fuckin' ... apparently."

**LINA**

"Yeah, rrgh, I know." Goro pressed his face
against Hansel's chest. Hiding from Hansel against Hansel. "Sorry."

**IZZY**

"Y'know I don't actually fuckin' give a shit,
right." To make the point, he added, "Fuck Selune," then paused.
"See? No one got fuckin' smote."

**LINA**

Goro groaned, and held onto Hansel tighter. "Well, with
druids--if you are a fucking druid--I don't know how it works, really, if a god
gives you powers, if they'll take 'em away again later if you piss them off.
With me, I gotta be in tune with Mask all the time, or I couldn't do shit. I
mean, it's not hard. I don't really have to think about it, usually. But I sure
as hell couldn't run around cursing him or just stop caring one way or the
other. So, I mean, if you can get away with it... uh, I guess that's good for
you, probably."

**IZZY**

Hansel made an unimpressed sound. "S'pose." If he
had some sort of god-given powers, but he wasn't a cleric -- if he was a druid
-- fuck, he didn't even know what that meant. The Lady was ancient. Maybe she'd
know something.

He squeezed Goro tighter against him. Wasn't shivering quite
as bad anymore. Hansel wanted to get up and try to pull the water out of the
rest of their clothes, but he didn't want to have to leave Goro.

**LINA**

"How far away does that druid lady live, anyway? Is it
any closer than the farm?"

**IZZY**

"Mm." He thought for a moment. Her home could be
... fucking tricky to pinpoint. Sometimes it seemed like it was closer,
sometimes it seemed like it was further away. "Dunno. Depends on whether
she wants to be found, I think. Or something."

**LINA**

"The fuck." Goro pressed against Hansel harder.
Hansel's shivering had died down a lot, so Goro didn't feel quite so bad
soaking up his body heat. "I just wanna sit by a fucking fire. I don't
think I can walk all the way back to the farm yet, though."

**IZZY**

Hansel wished he could fuckin' Send at her, or something,
but if he could Send he'd just do it at Mishka. If he was a fucking druid then
he should be able to make a goddamn plant pass on a message to another druid,
or some shit. He was pretty sure she'd help them out, unless he'd exhausted all
the good will she seemed to have for him last time.

"Maybe she's not far," he mumbled. "Hang
on."

He shifted carefully, keeping tight hold of Goro and making
sure the coat stayed around him as he straightened a little. The rain might've
let up a little -- it wasn't quite so impenetrably foggy outside, but it was
grim and gloomy. He shivered again, skin exposed to the cold air, swallowing as
a low rumble sounded far above them.

A blue flower had bloomed outside the cave mouth, stubbornly
staying upright under the torrent.

"Oh, fuck," he blurted. "Look. She's fuckin'
not. Look." He kept one arm tight around Goro and pointed to the flower
with the other one, not thinking about the fact that Goro'd have no idea what
it meant. He didn't think he'd ever seen her flowers this close to town.

**LINA**

"Um. What?"

**IZZY**

"Fuckin' ... the fuckin' ..." He was so surprised
that he couldn't think of what to say, for a moment, just kept pointing.
"Flower." That was not enough information. "The fuckin' flowers,
they lead to her place. Just gotta follow'em."

It was always so fucking warm in the hollow windfall --
swelteringly so, sometimes, but god, it sounded like fucking heaven, right now.

**LINA**

Sounded like bullshit, kinda, but a lot of druid shit
sounded like that. Goro figured Hansel knew what he was talking about.
"'Kay." He stared at the sopping wet pile of their clothes, and
actually shrank in on himself a little at the thought of putting them back on.
"You think you could do more of that, uh, that water thing? Get our
clothes dry?"

**IZZY**

"Could do, but they'd still be fucking cold, and then
we'd just get fucking drenched again. Dunno," he said doubtfully.
"You think there's much point?"

**LINA**

"Eh. I guess you got a point." Goro allowed
himself one final moment of hiding his face against Hansel's chest. "Just
don't want to, though. But the quicker we can get to her place the better,
probably."

**IZZY**

Hansel nodded. He shifted, joints stiff and aching from the
cold, onto his knees, keeping Goro on his lap and under the coat, to scoot
forwards and grab a handful of clothing. He sorted through it to at least pull
the water out of their underclothes, but figured Goro was right -- probably
better to just fucking get there.

He fuckin' hated to abandon the shelter the coat was still
offering him, though, and hated to make Goro do it even more, so he started
passing Goro's clothes to him under the coat.

**LINA**

Goro groaned loudly with each piece of wet clothing he
pulled on--gave up on trying to do it under the coat, since it was a hassle,
and he was gonna be freezing again soon anyway. He crawled off Hansel's lap to
finish pulling on his robe and belt. His teeth were chattering again already.

**IZZY**

The damp clothes weren't fucking great to put back on, but
Hansel was sure that it was hitting Goro worse than him. He frowned as he
dragged his boots on, keeping an eye on Goro, and bundled him up in the dry
coat instead of putting it on himself. He didn't give Goro time to object to it
-- he was fuckin' shivering, again, too, but they just needed to fucking move,
so he settled his arm around Goro to pull him on towards the mouth of the cave.

"I'll fuckin' try to keep the rain off us." He
rolled the knuckles of his free hand. Didn't think he'd be able to keep his
concentration, with the storm still going on, but he'd give it his best shot.
Couldn't quite tell if he wanted to be outside where the thunder was louder,
less, or inside the fucking cave.

**LINA**

"Then you oughta be wearing the f-fucking coat,"
Goro said, not sure he was making a strong case with how much his teeth were
chattering.

**IZZY**

"Fuck off." Hansel didn't figure he needed to make
a stronger argument than that. He paused, ducking in the cave entrance, to hold
his hand out into the rain and focus on it, on pushing it away. Once he had a
hold on it, he pulled Goro on out, moving his hand over their heads.

He wasn't quite able to keep it all from getting through,
and his outside shoulder was still getting the full force, but he was managing
to keep Goro from getting any wetter, anyway. He made himself walk as quick as
he could, following the trail of flowers with sore legs and a spasming back
that made him falter now again and lose his concentration.

The flowers led them away from home, deeper into the woods,
and with the rain obscuring things and the storm overhead making him flinch and
shudder, making it hard to keep track of shit, he steadily began to realize he
didn't fucking know where he was. It should be familiar -- it should all be
familiar -- but he had a creeping sense of dread that told him he was fucking
lost. He hadn't been lost in these woods for years. Fuck, the last time it'd
happened, the Lady had been the one to point him back to civilization.

.

He just hoped she wasn't fucking leading him astray this
time.

Goro was shivering harder next to him, and Hansel dragged
him as close as they could get and still keep walking. He didn't think he was
throwing off any heat anymore -- had that feeling of the cold creeping into his
core -- but any little bit would help. As long as they had a little bit of
warmth between them, it'd help.

Then he saw the ridge, and when they crested it, there was
the ancient fallen tree with a door carved into it, smoke streaming out of the
chimney and lights behind the closed curtains. Hansel sighed in relief, and
didn't have the energy to hide it. Eldath. Finally. The walk had been shorter
than the one home would've been, he knew -- was just fucking scary to feel lost
for a while.

He led Goro down the hill and up to the door, huddling under
the tiny eave and dropping the hand he'd been kind of able to shield them with
and pounding on the door. There was no response at first, and then the curtain
in the door window fluttered -- but then nothing else. He pounded on the door
again, desperately, feeling like he should call out, or something, but not
knowing what to say. He was the one who'd led them out into the middle of the
fucking woods. She didn't owe him help.

**LINA**

Goro lost track of how long they'd been walking for. Kind of
lost track of everything, just stumbling along wherever Hansel led him. Left to
his own devices he probably would've found some fucking bush and curled up
underneath it to sleep, which he realized didn't sound like a healthy choice,
or whatever, but he was too fucking drowsy to come up with anything else.

Hansel, though. Kept pulling him along.

The little home they arrived at was about the most inviting
thing Goro had ever laid eyes on. But there was no answer when Hansel pounded
on the door, and Goro felt his heart sinking all the way to his feet.

"Oh," was all he managed to say, and he leaned
against Hansel even heavier than he'd already been doing.

**IZZY**

Hansel stumbled and clung to Goro harder, keeping them both
on their feet. But -- the fucking flowers -- coming right to the cave, like
it'd been on purpose, like -- the fucking flowers --

He slammed his fist on the door again, once, then twice,
then losing his balance on the third as the door opened in. He caught himself on
the door frame, just, and the Lady stood there bundled up and scowling. Heat
billowed out, making him feel lightheaded and ill, suddenly. She stepped back
to let them in, and he dragged himself and pushed Goro past her to collapse on
the floor. She shut the door behind them.

It was all one room, long and narrow, stretching through the
windfall, with a lit hearth on each end. Her bed was far to the left of the
door, with curtains hung up around it, and a bureau and a chest; then there was
a small dining table, and the kitchen area they'd stepped into, with the other
fireplace directly in front of them. Hansel had dropped down, dripping, onto a
rug woven out of blues and purples and greens, and he was shaking harder now
that the warmth was leeching into him. He jerkily yanked his shirt off again
and pulled Goro's back to his chest, angling him towards the fire.

He didn't have the strength to move any closer, just dropped
his face onto Goro's shoulder, shivering, wrapped around him, fucking relieved.

The Lady moved past them, to the right, where there was a
small sitting area with carved wooden chairs, generously cushioned, and
bookshelves set into the walls. A kettle sat on the little coffee table, and
she plucked a few herbs and leaves from the many strands dangling from the
ceiling, dropping them into a pair of mugs and pouring steaming water over them
to steep.

Hansel knew he needed to thank her, but he couldn't talk
yet. The storm, though, was completely muted in here -- there was only the
sound of crackling fire.

**LINA**

This was fuckin' wild. Goro was a little worried he was
hallucinating, or dreaming--maybe he was napping under a bush, after all.
Hansel wouldn't have let him, though, so that meant Hansel...

Yeah, no, he wanted nothing to do with that shitty thought.
He was shivering too hard to pinch himself effectively, but he figured that in
itself was a good sign he was awake. He was still fucking aching all over, too.

He wanted out of his fucking wet clothes. Almost to the
point of desperation, but not quite--there was some lady he didn't know in the
room with them, and all. Goro lifted his head, peering over Hansel to get a
look at her.

She looked mad.

"Hi," Goro said, his voice a weak croak. "I'm
half wood elf."

**IZZY**

The Lady gave him a venomous look.

She set the mugs by the hearth as she passed by them, her
long layered skirts rustling. Then she went to her bureau and pulled out a
couple of heavy wool blankets in earthy tones, and brought them over to the
fireplace, as well, dropping them unceremoniously.

"Get out of your wet clothes," she said, shortly.
She plucked the shirt Hansel had already discarded up to carry it over to the
other fireplace, where she busied herself with hanging it on a line, and left
them be.

Hansel made a dissatisfied sound and kept holding onto Goro,
shivering.

**LINA**

Ah, fuck. Maybe she didn't like other wood elves.

"Uh," Goro said, watching her move around.
"I'm... I'm good. I'm drying off."

**IZZY**

"If I have to pull the damn clothes off you to keep you
from freezing to death on my rug," she said, "I will."

Hansel whined lowly, feeling like a fuckin' kid being told
off, but obeying. He made himself detach from Goro and kicking his boots off
again -- then remembering his fucking manners and setting them upright, in a line,
next to the fire. He grabbed one of the blankets and draped it over Goro's
shoulders. It was more than big enough to cover him up, and puddle around him
on the floor.

He leaned his forehead against Goro's temple for another
second, not wanting to move away from him, then reached for the other blanket
to drag it around himself, struggling out of his soaked pants and shoving them
outside of the warm woolen shelter. He already felt better. God, just the
fucking fire. He leaned against Goro again, bundled up.

**LINA**

Goro fucking hated it, blanket or no blanket, but he wasn't
sure he had much choice. She could always kick him out of her house if he
pissed her off enough.

He kissed Hansel's wet hair a few times to make up for
nudging him out of the way so he could get undressed. He peeled his clothes off
slow--both from the lack of coordination and because he was loath to do it at
all--keeping his eyes on the lady the whole time to make sure she wasn't
looking at him, and making sure the blanket kept him covered.

He scooted close to Hansel and dug his fingers into the
folds of Hansel's blanket, finding an opening and worming his way inside,
jerkily but carefully wrapping both blankets around the two of them.

Hansel was still clammy, his extremeties cold to the touch.
Goro hissed through his teeth as he leaned against Hansel's chest. They were
alright, though. They'd warm up a hell of a lot faster with the blankets and
the fire.

He wanted to take a fucking nap, but it was too weird with
the lady being there. He eyed her again. "I'm a cleric," he tried.

**IZZY**

Hansel sniffled and cuddled against Goro, closing his eyes.
He finally felt like he could fucking relax. Actually safe, now, from fucking
frostbite and from the thunder and wild animals. Safe from the possibility of
losing Goro. Still shivering, and his fingers and toes prickling as the feeling
came back to them, again, but at least it was coming back.

He knew Goro wasn't going to feel safe, though. He didn't
fuckin' know the Lady. Fuck, Hansel didn't, really, either -- he'd just always
trusted her, because his mom did, he guessed. (Remembered her saying Elijah had
come to the Lady, that the Lady had said she couldn't help him. Seemed ... not
quite right, he thought. The Lady was old as the dirt itself, he figured. Just
doing Marion a favor.)

So he wrapped around Goro to try to help him settle, so that
the blankets and Hansel were both between her and Goro, and dropped his face
onto Goro's shoulder again, kissing the crook of his neck with half-numb lips.
All good, he wanted to say, and couldn't, yet, with words. Safe. All good.

The Lady came back for their clothes to take them over to
the line. "Shame," she said.

**LINA**

"Oh, wise guy, huh?" Goro said. "Well, wise
lady. Hah, you probably are wise. It's not even a joke. 'Cept it is." He
was feeling kinda drunk. Cold had got into his head, after all.

**IZZY**

Hansel scoffed against Goro's shoulder. He rubbed Goro's
back rapidly for a second, then carefully snaked a hand out to pick up one of
the mugs the Lady had set down for them and directed it to Goro's lips. It
smelled earthy and bittersweet.

She cast them another disdainful glance, still hanging up
their clothes. "Is it your god that caused the storm, then?"

Hansel found his voice, again, though it came out weak and
cracked. "Nope. That was me," he said apologetically. "Hey, uh.
Am I fucking druid, ma'am?"

She paused and just stared at them, blinking.

**LINA**

Goro slurped loudly at the tea, staring back at her.

"Well?" he said after a beat. "Is he a
fucking druid, ma'am?"

**IZZY**

"Sorry," Hansel blurted, not sure what he was even
apologizing for, just feeling real fuckin' sheepish.

The Lady hung up the last bit of clothing, then came over to
kneel next to them on the tips of her toes and narrow her eyes as she studied
him. She pushed her untamed, curly hair behind one mangled ear and slowly said,
"Well, you certainly fucking weren't the last time I saw you."

"Yeah," he agreed.

She reached out and rested the back of her hand against his
forehead, and hmm'd quietly, then looked over to his belt, where the axe
wrapped with the blackberry branch rested. "Curious."

"Uh-huh," he agreed again, feeling stupid.

**LINA**

"He did a thing," Goro offered. "With that
blackberry branch. Or it looked like that, anyway. Turned it into a long vine,
like a whip." He tried to make a whip sound effect, but it just sounded
like a wet tutting noise. "And he can control water. And he made thunder.
Also, he healed some cuts on my hand. You know, druid shit. Nature, and
shit."

**IZZY**

Hansel nodded. "Yeah. That. Nature shit."

"Mm. Mmhm."

She made it sound dismissive and indulgent at the same time,
like they were babbling children she didn't particularly care for but had no
desire to be cruel to, either. Hansel guessed they kinda fuckin' were. He
wondered if she'd made Mishka feel like a child, too, even though he'd been
around so much longer than Hansel had.

"Druid shit indeed," she said, still studying him.
Her eyes caught on the scars on his wrist, and she pulled it further out of the
blanket to inspect it, pulling the mug away from Goro by extension. "You
didn't have these last time, either."

"Yeah. Fuckin', uh. Gruumsh." That wasn't helpful.
God, he was just ... so tired. He just wanted to sleep.

The Lady stared at him blankly.

**LINA**

"Gruumsh possesses him sometimes. Like a fuckin'
dick." Goro scowled at the scars. "For the record, those are not a
reflection of my healing ability. They were already in place when I got to him.
I think the ghost of his friend healed him like that, or something. Didn't do
as good a job as I would have."

That reminded Goro of the new scar across Hansel's face, how
healing that had been the work of this lady. He didn't want to take a dig at
her work outright--that thing, again, about how she could kick them out of her
home--but he hoped she felt slighted anyway. He bet she could connect some dots
in her head.

**IZZY**

"God." Hansel planted his face against Goro's
shoulder again.

The Lady delicately took the mug out of his hand, and he
heard it clink on the floor. He pulled his hand back under the blankets to wrap
around Goro, listening to her swishing skirts and the quiet padding of her bare
feet pacing over to the sitting area. She bumped around for a second, then came
back and dropped down next to them again.

"You," she said. "Cleric. Does he have a
birthmark like this, anywhere on his body?"

Hansel peeked out and saw her holding a yellowed book with
fraying bindings open to a page where a single, staring red eye was painted,
surrounded by dark clouds. He shuddered and hid his face again, arms tightening
around Goro. Clear skies. Calm seas. Clear skies. Safe.

**LINA**

Goro sneered at the picture. Whatever it was, it was scaring
Hansel, so it pissed him off. "No. He doesn't. The fuck is that?"

Some Gruumsh shit, probably. The single eye. Just begging to
have something stabbed into it.

**IZZY**

She snapped the book closed, and Hansel twitched slightly at
the sound.

"The mark of Gruumsh," she said, almost absently,
like she was lost in thought. "Then he isn't the Scion. That's --
unfortunate."

'He,' she kept saying, like he wasn't there or couldn't
speak for himself. It occurred to him to be insulted or something, but he was
kind of ... fucking fine with it, if he was honest. Goro could talk for him. He
nestled into the crook of Goro's neck and breathed. Safe.

**LINA**

"Unfortunate because he's not built to survive the
possession?" Goro guessed. That'd better be what she fucking meant,
anyway. "That's why I'm gonna murder Gruumsh, yeah."

He wrapped his arms around Hansel under the blanket
protectively, one hand sliding up to cover the back of Hansel's head.
"Hansel's strong, though. He's doing a good job fighting it. We're gonna
make it through this, and don't you fucking dare say otherwise. You don't know
the half of it. Gruumsh knows I'm coming for him."

**IZZY**

The Lady gave him an unimpressed look, then stood and went
back to reshelve the book. She stayed there for a moment, fingers tapping
against the row of spines. She didn't respond.

Hansel didn't budge from where he was wrapped around Goro,
his breathing evening out.

**LINA**

Goro kissed the side of his head, and kept cradling it,
shielding him.

"There's another god who likes him, maybe," Goro
told the lady. "Selune. We're thinking maybe she gave him these powers.
Can it work like that, with druids?"

**IZZY**

She continued looking over her books, and after a second,
said, "Druidic power comes from nature. A deity associated with nature --
Silvanus and the wild wood, Selune and the full moon -- could bestow someone
with those powers." Then she turned narrowed eyes back towards them.
"I would be suspicious of why."

**LINA**

"Because he's fucking amazing," Goro snapped back,
without hesitating. There were more specific reasons, he guessed, when it came
to Selune, but as far as he was concerned most gods wouldn't need an excuse to
look favorably upon Hansel.

**IZZY**

She continued to look unimpressed, and padded back over to
sit beside them again, crossing her legs under her.

"Hansel. Child. Wake up."

He grumbled wordlessly and peeked up.

"Why would a goddess favor you?"

"Sister," he mumbled. "I mean ... friend.
Crewmate. Was a devout of Selune or whatever. Had visions an' shit. Dead
now." Maybe that made sense.

"Someone vouched for you," the Lady filled in.

"Mmf."

"Hm."

**LINA**

"Told ya," Goro said to the lady, even though he
hadn't, exactly. Kind of, though.

**IZZY**

"No, you didn't," the Lady said flatly. She stood
up. "What are you a cleric of, anyway?"

**LINA**

"Uh." Goro held onto Hansel a little tighter.
She'd probably see right fucking through him if he lied. He wasn't sure he could
even lie properly when he was naked. "Mask."

**IZZY**

She studied him impassively for a moment, then walked away.

**LINA**

Goro squirmed a little. He carefully reached out from
between the blankets to take his tea mug, and he took a sip. "The
fuck," he muttered in orcish.

**IZZY**

Hansel made a quiet, noncommittal sound, and in orcish
mumbled, "S'fine. Warm now."

**LINA**

"Mm," Goro agreed. "She just gonna let us sit
in here 'til the storm's over, you think? Hey, is it even still going?" It
was so quiet in there, he couldn't really tell, and curtains obscured the view
out every window. It was like they were in another little world. Gave Goro
goosebumps, even now that he was warmed up.

**IZZY**

"Yeah." He nodded, too tired to consider the
alternative. She wouldn't just kick them out, because he didn't know what the
fuck he would do if she did. "Be fine. Can't hear the storm."

**LINA**

"Hey," Goro called to the lady. He was starting to
wonder if she had a name. "Are we in like, some kinda pocket dimension or
some shit? Or is your roof just real fucking soundproof?"

**IZZY**

She didn't bother to look their way. "It's just a
tree."

**LINA**

"Yeah-huh. Druid shit."

**IZZY**

She cut her eyes at him disdainfully.

**LINA**

"Hey now, I ain't complaining. I got no beef with
druids. I got a sexy druid boyfriend now, and everything."

**IZZY**

Hansel snorted and sleepily kissed Goro's shoulder. He could
feel his lips again, and Goro wasn't cold as death anymore. That was good. They
were fine.

The Lady ignored him.

**LINA**

Goro gulped down the rest of his tea and set down the mug so
he could link his arms properly behind Hansel's neck. He gave him a kiss.
"You feeling better?"

He spoke quietly, figuring the lady would come over and gag
him eventually if he made too much noise.

**IZZY**

"Mm." He nodded without opening his eyes. It'd
always felt safe and homey at the windfall, to him, even though it was kind of
strange and alien, too, when they'd brought animals for the Lady to heal --
when the goats' feed had gotten mildewed and Elijah fed it to them anyway, when
the barn cat had been attacked by a coyote.

She'd kept that cat, he remembered, as payment for saving
it, and raised his head to blink around groggily. Ah, right. That'd been
fuckin' ... twenty-five, thirty years ago. Cats didn't live that long. But there
it fucking was anyway, a calico with a notch out of her ear, staring at him
with sharp green eyes from beside the fire.

"Huh."

Like she'd been waiting for him to acknowledge her, she
stood and stretched her forelegs out, then sauntered over and headbutted their
blanket cocoon. He slipped a hand out for her to sniff, then scratched under
her chin.

"S'my cat. Hey," he mumbled, head resting back
down onto Goro's shoulder.

**LINA**

"You have a cat?" Goro reached out of the
blankets, too, and petted it, and it started to purr. "Wait. Why would
your... huh."

**IZZY**

"Used t'live in the barn. Got fucked up by some wild
animal that came to fuck with the goats. She scared it off," Hansel said
proudly. The cat rubbed against his hand, then Goro's, purring loudly at the
attention. "Got all hurt though, so ..."

He roused himself again. Couldn't possibly be the same cat.
He turned to look over to where the Lady was pulling her own laundry off the
line by the fire and folding it up.

"Hey, ma'am? Lily have kittens and one'f them get a
fucked up ear, too?" he asked.

She didn't look their way. "No."

**LINA**

"Druid shit," Goro whispered.

**IZZY**

Hansel stared between the two of them for a moment, then
nodded solemnly like he knew what that meant, and went back to petting his cat.

**LINA**

"Can you teach Hansel how to do that? Ma'am?"

**IZZY**

"No. He's a fucking child."

"Hey," Hansel objected quietly, and couldn't argue
the point any further.

**LINA**

Goro patted Hansel on the back. "Man, she's sure got a
foul mouth."

**IZZY**

"What, like we can fuckin' talk?"

**LINA**

"You're a pirate, and I'm... well, I got kidnapped by
pirates."

**IZZY**

"Street rat," Hansel helped. "You're a street
rat."

**LINA**

"Hey." Goro shoved Hansel's shoulder. "I'm
not anymore."

**IZZY**

"Yeah, well, 'm not a fuckin' pirate anymore."
Except when it was convenient to claim to be one. Then he was.

**LINA**

"Man. That means I got kidnapped by retired pirates.
Sounds pathetic. Couldn't even get the real thing."

**IZZY**

He snorted. "Hey. Nah. Y'know how badass a pirate's gotta
be to make it to retirement? You got fuckin' ... next level pirates."

**LINA**

"Hmm. Can't tell if that's bullshit or not, but I guess
I'll have to take your word for it. I accept." He nuzzled Hansel's neck.
"Thanks for keeping me safe today."

**IZZY**

Hansel grunted softly. It'd be easier to brush it off, scoff
about it. It'd be more familiar to deny he'd done anything, just fucked shit up
like usual. He didn't want to do either of those things, though.

"Yeah," he mumbled, muffled against Goro's
shoulder again. "You too. Thanks. Love you."

He pulled his hand back under the blankets to wrap around
Goro and squeeze him. Lily settled down next to them, paws tucked under
herself, still purring contentedly.

**LINA**

[end]

**IZZY**

Title: Hypothermia. Summary: Hansel takes Goro on a pleasant
walk through the woods, except that they get attacked by wolves and Hansel
discovers he has thunder magic, which gives him a panic attack and summons up a
Gruumsh storm. Goro figures out that Hansel is a druid after gifting him a blackberry
spring, and the two hide out in the Trauma Cave before seeking refuge with the
Lady of the Woods.