Archive of Our Own

i

What was she getting herself into, coming here?

At this point, they’d escaped a mindflayer vessel against all odds, fought dangerous beasts, negotiated out of precarious conflicts, all the while with the threat of ceremorphorsis hanging over their heads - still hanging over their heads. Right now, though, all that seemed a world away to Frances. 

Right now, the most daunting thing was the woman standing in front of her.

Lae’zel had taken her to the crumbling ruin on the edge of camp, separated from the main grouping of tents by a small stream. Here, they had a little privacy from the rest of the group. Of course, Frances was pretty sure they had all seen their departure, and their absence would have certainly been noticed by now, even with the darkened sky. Come morning, she wouldn’t be hearing the end of this from Astarion. 

Granted, she had to make it to morning first. Lae’zel always made everything seem like a challenge, which normally Frances found endearing, except now it felt like she was rigged to fail. The frenetic hammering of her heart in her chest wasn’t doing anything for her case, either. She had to get herself together. Swallowing, she forced her eyes off her feet to what lay ahead.

The cause of Frances’ inner turmoil was looking back at her, dressed down in her casual clothes, resting her arms against either side of the entryway. She cast a look over Frances, her eyes still alight with the desire that Frances had seen when she approached her to plan this little rendezvous.

“Gith train relentlessly.” Lae’zel said. ‘We know our bodies inside and out.” 

Frances tried to muster a reply, but Lae’zel wasn’t waiting for one, turning and stepping inside. Good - Frances wasn’t sure she was capable of producing anything resembling words right now. 

She took a tentative few steps forward into the crumbling stone frame. It was a different scene here at night, shadows draped across the hard earth. She had never really taken the time to study this place, as most of her fascination had been on the mirror propped up against the wall - which was still here, in the far corner. She had never had a need to observe the plants that poked here and there through the stonework, and the old stone itself. Now, though, her mind was grabbing at anything she could possibly use to ground herself.

Little good it was doing her. The silence and the cool air weren’t exactly aiding in quelling her anxiety - if anything, she felt it was amplified. This all felt like some sort of practical joke, like when girls would ask her out on a dare in school while their friends watched, laughing. Any moment now, the other shoe would drop, and she’d be left humiliated to lick her wounds. The idea that Lae’zel, someone so self-assured, headstrong, sharp-witted, a shining example of physical prowess, someone so impressive, would be interested in her, despite their rocky start, interested in her enough to make her hair stand on end, to make her sweat…

…well, it was a bit unreal. 

Going down that path, though, wasn’t exactly fair to Lae’zel. Her compliments were genuine, and not something given lightly. Clearly Frances had made an impression on her - if nothing else, there was a mutual respect. She’d shared her mind with her - multiple times, at this point - and there was that night, not too long ago, when Lae’zel had held her at knifepoint. For some reason, Frances hadn’t been scared then, even on threat of death. If anything, it was their sudden proximity that had made her pulse race. Some part of her had an unfailing belief that she could talk Lae’zel down, that Lae’zel wouldn’t hurt her. So why was she so afraid now? 

“I lead. You follow.” Lae’zel had said, shortly before they had made their way to these ruins. 

Good, because I don’t know what I’m doing, Frances thought, reflecting back. 

When it came down to it, Frances trusted her. Lae’zel was anything if earnest, and she wouldn’t do this to screw with her. Well, maybe that wasn’t the best choice of words. They were here for a reason, after all. Lae’zel must have wanted her - must want her now - to suggest this in the first place. Knowing that should at least be enough - 

Lae’zel stepped out from the shadows, her whole body laid bare, and Frances’s inner monologue fried out in an instant.

Holy hells.

“Let me show you.” Lae’zel’s voice was smooth. “Close your eyes - and submit.” 

Somehow, Frances’s capabilities of speech hadn’t completely been annihilated. She found herself letting out a stilted laugh, by some means. “W - w - what do you mean? What do you intend?” She willed herself to keep her eyes glued to Lae’zel’s face. She didn’t trust herself not to spontaneously combust if she didn’t. 

Lae’zel circled around her, her eyes tracking Frances’ before she paused by the stone arch entrance. “I intend to take my pleasure. Say the word no, and you will go untasted.” She was quiet for a moment, looking out into the night. “Say yes, and you brave turbulent waters.”

She stepped back, circling her again, her gaze so intense Frances could almost feel it brush her skin. She had never put much stock in the expression ‘undressing them with your eyes’ until now. “Tell me.”

Frances wet her lips. “Y - yes.” Hearing her own shaking voice in her ears, she swallowed, breathed in, trying again. “Yes. Please.” 

There was a pause as they stared at each other.

“I asked you to close your eyes.”

Oh right. Shit. She was already messing this up. Frances squeezed her eyes shut. A fraction too late she realized probably looked anything but enticing, and more like she was bracing herself for battle.

“Sorry - I - I’ve never done this before,” she confessed. 

“Hm. I can tell.” 

Great. 

Fully in the dark now, she was left with the rapid beat of her pulse in her neck and her own shallow breathing. It was quiet enough she could hear Lae’zel breathing as well, steady in comparison to her own. A soft scuffle here and there - footsteps. There was a soft brush as her hair was delicately lifted aside, and she flinched, her breath stuttering. 

A pause. A quiet exhale of breath next to her ear.

Then the flicker of tongue against her neck, and all her nerves went electric. 

Frances let out a gasp, hearing it in her ears before she was even aware of it herself. There was a sharp exhale in response. She could feel Lae’zel’s breath on her skin, and each touch of it further amped up the heat in her chest. She was trembling not only with nervous energy now, but anticipation.

Clawed fingers slid over her own, a gentle pull leading her forward. A few steps, and then she was being guided down, another hand touching her arm. As she arranged herself in a sitting position she felt Lae’zel settle in next to her, hearing the rustle of the bedrolls under them. 

“Open.”

At Lae’zel’s command her eyes flicked open. They were sitting side-by-side now, Lae’zel watching her, propped up on one arm. This close, Frances could see the catch of the candlelight in her hair. 

“Taste.” Lae’zel’s voice was eager.

Frances’ mind was frozen. She stared back.

Lae’zel gave a huff, flicking her eyes to Frances’ lips, holding for a few moments, then flicking back up. 

Dumbly, Frances’ lips parted. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth. 

A smirk.

Then Lae’zel took pity on her, cupping her cheek with a deft hand and pulling her in.

Her lips were hard against Frances’, rough and hungry. She was warm - fiery, even. Tongue slid into Frances’ mouth, and she responded in kind, scarcely aware of the action. Even given everything she had heard from word of mouth and literature, she hadn’t been sure how first kisses were supposed to go, or what she was supposed to do. Now, though, she was moving on pure instinct. 

Lae’zel broke off the kiss and Frances jerked forward, their foreheads knocking together. She winced, putting a hand to her head. When she looked up, Lae’zel was smirking again, Frances’ crimson lipstick smudged across her lips. 

“You’re eager,” Her fingertips were still resting on Frances’ jaw.

Frances said nothing, not trusting herself too. She managed a flushed smile back.

“Good,” There was a pleased lilt to Lae’zel’s voice. Thank Mystra, Frances wasn’t completely disappointing her yet. 

It was only a moment’s pause, but she must have been staring at Lae’zel’s stained lips for long enough for Lae’zel to notice, as she lifted a hand up, wiping off a smear of lipstick and examining it on her finger. “Curious,” she said, studying it. “I wasn’t aware your lip-paint was so easily damaged.”

“I - It’s a fresh coat,” Frances replied, automatically mirroring the gesture herself. She had applied it just before meeting up with Lae’zel this evening. It was hard to get prettied up after a gruelling day of battles, but she had wanted to look her best, or the best she could manage on short notice. 

Watching Lae’zel with her lipstick smear on her was… distracting. “You look good with. Um - I - It suits you.” Suits you?? Your own smudged lipstick? What was she even saying?

“Show me again.”

“H - huh?”

Lae’zel sighed and tossed her head back, exposing her neck. She looked at Frances, then flicked her eyes down and back up to match hers. “Again. Lower.”

“Um, alright,” 

Was Lae’zel really expecting her to lead? This was totally against what she had proposed earlier - well, she was being directed, but - still! What in the hells was she supposed to do? 

No. No, she could do this. She had to keep telling herself that. She did have some knowledge of the subject, what Ire had told her in their college days - No. She could do this. Just because she hadn’t put it into practice yet didn’t mean it she wasn’t capable. With this in mind, she pressed a firm kiss to the curve of Lae’zel’s neck, feeling the steady pulse beneath and speeding up her own. 

Was she supposed to be using tongue, or teeth? She wasn’t sure. She kissed lower down her neck, trying to better angle her head, but it was hard to do without smushing her nose or getting hair in her face. Shit, she really should have tied it back before this. 

Lae'zel hooked a finger around the strap of her top, pulling her in. Frances could barely make out her breathing over the pounding of her own heart over her ears, but she could feel the tremble of her skin against her mouth. That was a good sign, right? 

She tilted her head and kissed her collarbone. It was hard to move in this position without being practically on top of her. And given their height difference, she was really having to lean in. Hopefully this didn’t feel as stiff and awkward on the other end as it did for her.

“Chk - Enough!” Sitting up abruptly, Lae’zel pushed Frances off of her. It wasn’t quite a glare that she levelled at her, but her gaze was still hard. “It’s obvious you don’t know what you’re doing.”

It felt like a kick to the chest. “I told you I’ve n - never done this before,” Frances replied, her eyes dropping to the ground. “I - I’m sorry.”

“It’s like you’re a completely different person. I don’t understand it.” She couldn’t see her face, didn’t want to look, but she could hear the bite in Lae’zel’s words well enough. ”Where is your confidence? Your dominance? I know you as a quick-witted tactician, not some trembling rabbit.”

Frances felt her face and ears burn. “That’s - it’s different, a - alright? I know my abilities.” she retorted, her voice shaking. “I know how to control a battlefield, how to talk to people. I just - just - no one’s ever a - approached me like this before. I - I’m not good with this sort of thing.”

“Clearly …Faerûn… has backwards ideas of desire.” 

Frances' heart sank. I really am not good with this sort of thing.

“Very well," Lae’zel sighed. "Francesca. Look at me."

Lae’zel always called her by her full name. It was extremely charming for some reason, even in a moment like this - well, especially in a moment like this. Pulling her eyes off the ruin floor, Frances internally braced herself for the hard stare awaiting her.

But Lae’zel’s eyes were intent, focused - not angry. “You do want this?”

“That’s why I’m nervous,” mumbled Frances. “Y - yeah.”

“Come. I’ll show you.” Lae’zel reached forward, resting her hand on the base of Frances’ neck, a thumb on her rapid pulse.

“You’ll - ?”

Her words were cut off as Lae’zel kissed her, first her lips and then her jaw, then her neck. 

So this is how it was supposed to be done. That train of thought, however, was going to have to wait because there was no way she could pay attention to technique when Lae’zel’s mouth was on her and all she wanted was more. 

Lae’zel’s hands were on her waist and she was grabbing onto her shoulders, trying to pull them closer together. Her back hit the mat with a thud - she hadn’t even realised she had fallen - and she lay there, momentarily stunned, not by the impact but on realising where she was: Lae’zel naked over her, lipstick marks still on her lips and neck, straddling her hips. 

She might have stopped for a breather but Lae’zel certainly hadn’t, and she leaned over to work at Frances’ top, fumbling at the straps as she tried to yank it off her to little avail. “Take this off.” she snapped. 

At this point, the desire burning through her was overpowering any nerves. Frances reached back, pulling the fastening loose and then the rest of the top over her head. She looked back up at Lae’zel, a hand on her own chest, searching for a response before her self consciousness caught up with her.

There was a sharp suck of breath in and a long exhale as Lae’zel’s eyes panned her body. She stroked a hand on Frances’ abdomen, thumbing at the ridges over her ribs, and Frances heard herself whine at the touch, squirming under her. They were far enough out no one would hear them - right? - and frankly, at the moment, she didn’t care. 

Thankfully, she wasn’t the only one who wanted to get straight to the point. In a clean motion, Lae’zel pulled Frances’ hand up, pinning it to the ground, and leaned over to run her tongue against the curve of her chest. Fuck. She felt it straight to her core.

Working her way down Frances’ chest and abdomen to her waist, Lae’zel released her for a moment to untie her waistband - this she didn’t need help with, but Frances joined her anyway, kicking off her pants and underwear until she was lying there, fully exposed. Not a moment later she felt teeth against her thigh, and she let out a moan. 

Her heart was threatening to beat itself out of her chest now, not from anxiety but from anticipation, passion, desire - she had wanted Lae’zel so badly before getting to this point, and now here she was. Although her feelings had only really come to a head when she had been propositioned, it would be a lie to say they weren’t around before that - maybe even since they had met. And speaking of coming to a head, now she wanted more - fuck, she needed more -

Tongue pressed between her legs, and her mind went blank as it felt like all the blood in her body rushed to her core.

Holy hells.

Lae’zel worked at her, intense and unrelenting, and she twitched under her touch, gasping. Of course she had experimented on herself before, but she was never this rough, not even close. Lae’zel was a whole other beast, and she couldn’t get enough. Her back arched off the mat. Claws pressed into her thighs as Lae’zel held her legs to either side. She was scarcely aware of what she herself was saying - it all sounded distant to her ears, a mix of muffled moans and cries.

It wasn’t long before she came, gasping, her hands clawing for purchase at the mat - but Lae’zel didn’t stop, didn’t even slow down, continuing the rough sweep of her tongue. Frances’ legs tightened, clamping around Lae’zel’s head. She had only pushed herself this far once or twice alone, but even with magic she could not match Lae’zel’s pace. Part of her tried to grind her hips into the motion, but she was shaking so much at this point that it was hard to follow through. 

The second - or maybe the third - time she came she was so lost in pleasure, dizzy, her vision blurred, her senses only coming back in when the touch against her abruptly cut off. She was trembling, her shoulders shaking. Dimly she became aware of the noises escaping her throat and the dampness on her cheeks, welling up in her eyes. Wait - what?

She was crying. No - not just crying. 

Oh gods, she was sobbing her eyes out.

The haze of desire Frances was lost in evaporated instantly as she snapped back into reality. No, no, why was this happening. Embarrassment flooded over her, and she desperately tried to keep it together, struggling to control her breathing. Unfortunately, that only made her cry harder.

Hells, Lae’zel must think her a pitiful weakling now. 

Given her earlier …inexperience, things had recovered fairly well, at least she thought so, until now. Why couldn't she have better control of herself - why did her body have to betray her like this? Would she even be able to look Lae'zel in the eye tomorrow on the road? Lae'zel must not even want to look at her now. Maybe if she had put herself out there more in school she wouldn't be in this mess. Her thoughts spiralled on and on, and all she could do was keep inwardly cursing herself and whatever divine comedy she was in. 

Eventually her sobbing ran its course, devolving into gasps and sniffles as she wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. Please, just put me out of my misery.

“You’ve recovered, I take it?” Lae’zel’s voice cut through her thoughts.

Frances tilted her head to see Lae’zel sitting up, perched over her, an eyebrow raised. She had been quiet this whole time, which Frances had attributed to another failing of her own. Now though, seeing her unbothered expression - she must have been giving her some space. Frances nodded weakly. 

Lae’zel smirked. “Even someone as inexperienced as you can appreciate a skilled tongue, it seems.”

Of course Lae’zel would take her reaction as a compliment. She needn’t have worried. 

Her nerves dwindling, Frances relaxed against the mat. No longer wracked with shame and panic, she became of aware of the other senses of her body. Sweat beaded in the small of her back and across her temples. Her core ached from the overstimulation, but she almost felt the absence of pressure more. Her legs were still twitching. Now that she’d had a taste of Lae'zel's handiwork, she couldn't just stop there, just like that. 

“...please…” Her voice sounded pitiful to her ears, weak and hoarse from crying.

“Yes?” 

“Please… can we keep going?” Frances reached up, her hand brushing at Lae’zel’s arm.

“As you are now, I would ruin you. We switch.”

“Please - I can take it.”

Lae'zel raised an eyebrow. “Do you have the strength to waste arguing?” She slid a hand over Frances’ collarbone, across the film of sweat that lay there, Frances sighing at the touch. “Patience. We've only just started.” When Frances leaned forward to get up, Lae'zel pressed her back down with one hand. “Wait.”

“I'm not incapable,” replied Frances, her voice still faint. “I'm not as fragile as you must think.”

“Let me finish. I don't doubt you,” Lae'zel still had a hand on her chest. She smiled, a small thing, but genuine. “You’re sounding more like the warrior I know.”

Frances opened her mouth to reply, but she was shut up immediately when Lae'zel swung a leg over her, her thighs now bracketing Frances' head. “There was a reason I meant for you not to move. I trust you've learned something?”

“...” All she could do was gawk.

“Show me.”

Faced with her objective right in front of her, she was practically dizzy with desire. This time - yes, this time she would prove her merit. 

With that, Frances swallowed, and dove in.

—

When Frances opened her eyes, drifting awake to the rustle of fabric, it was still dark. She had about a half-minute of ignorant bliss before a wave of soreness hit her and she remembered exactly what she’d been up to last night. 

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, she was too exhausted to get embarrassed. By Mystra, even her jaw and tongue were sore. How was that even - never mind. She must have passed clean out - she hadn’t even bothered to put up her hair. Gods, her legs ached so much she didn’t even want to think about all the walking they’d be doing today. She gingerly rolled over, taking care not to strain herself, to find the bedroll next to her bare. 

“...Lae’zel?” she managed, her voice hoarse from sleep, crying, and… well. She could hazard a guess.

“It’s time to rise. Dawn is upon us.”

Lae’zel was standing in the doorframe of the crumbling run, already dressed and ready to go, not a hair out of place, her shoulders relaxed. 

How on the material plane… She was something else. Frances forced herself up into a sitting position, wincing as she stretched her arms. “H - hang on, I’m not built like you. I need a moment.”

“Hmm - you do look peaked.” Lae’zel looked over her. “Very well, take your moment.”

Frances glanced down at herself, only now noticing the bruises and marks on her chest and thighs. She reflexively put a hand to her neck. Knowing what they’d been up to last night, there was definitely no shortage of them there. Great. Hopefully she’d be able to grab some sort of cover up from her tent before anyone - or gods forbid, especially Astarion - noticed. 

Still, as embarrassing as the stares and questions were probably going to be, and as sore as she was now, the buzz of emotion from last night still lingered, and her chest felt warm. Something that she couldn’t of fathomed of a week ago - Lae’zel interested in her - was real. Every ache of her muscles now told her that. 

“Um… so what comes next for us?” she asked.

Lae’zel frowned. “Next? We seek purification.” She paused, flicking her gaze over Frances’ body again. The way her eyes lingered was not lost on Frances. “I might even lay you again, should my whims so take me.”

Oh!

“But do not deceive yourself: our bond runs no deeper.”

Oh.

Frances’ heart dropped in her throat. 

It was good enough that Lae’zel respected her and thought she was physically attractive, and that Frances was decent enough in bed for Lae’zel to entertain the idea of sleeping with her again, she supposed. However, that didn’t make it feel like any less of a slap to the face. She looked down at the ground, hugging her legs in closer.

“Up now. The sun soon rises.” Casting her one last glance, Lae’zel stepped off, heading back to the main camp, leaving Frances sitting alone on the bedroll.

Frances watched her go, her stomach sinking. So… this was a one-night fling, or some sort of friends… allies-with-benefits sort of arrangement. Not that she should be surprised. For what she’d seen with Lae’zel so far, githyanki culture didn’t leave much room for affection. Should she really have gotten her hopes up? It was enough she hadn’t made a complete fool of herself.

She swallowed, then shook out her head, stretching her limbs. No sense in dwelling over it now. As much as it hurt, Lae’zel was right. The day continued, and they had tadpoles to get right of - not to mention a grove and tieflings to save. Her romantic hangups would have to wait. Besides, they really hadn’t known each other for very long at all - all these near death scenarios just had a way of accelerating things. 

Gathering her things and pulling on her crumpled clothes, inwardly groaning at the pull of her muscles, she braced herself for the arduous day that surely awaited her.

ii

When she awoke from her rest the sky was still dark, glittering with stars, but the first wisps of dawn were beginning to show. High time for warming up her muscles for the day ahead. Not that she hadn’t gotten in a full workout last night. Lae’zel rolled off the bedroll in a fluid motion, hopping to her feet and shaking out her arms.

“Mm… you’re leaving already?” 

She turned to see Francesca stirring a few feet away. Her voice was still thick with sleep, even with what little they had gotten. She blinked up at Lae’zel with her mismatched eyes, a sprig of hair escaping her lopsided hair wrap and framing her cheek.

“It’s practically dawn. You should be up.” Lae’zel replied.

“It’s still dark yet,” Francesca stifled a yawn with the back of her delicately freckled hand. “Will you stay a little longer?” 

“I have already sated my fill. The day goes on.”

Even in the dark, Lae’zel could see her flush. How someone so confident and assured on the field could fluster so easily when it came to sex still puzzled her. “No, not that,” she said, “Can you… do you want to, um, cuddle, or something, for a bit?”

“...Cuddle?”

“You said you would consider it if my …performance was good enough.” Francesca’s eyes fell to the ground for a moment before she looked back up, a hopeful expression on her face. “Um… was it?” 

She had said that, hadn’t she. And it wasn’t like Francesca’s performance had been less than adequate. In fact, it was better than she expected, given her inexperience the last time. For a wizard who could barely lift a crate, Francesca had surprisingly high stamina. She had done most of the receiving, which Lae’zel hadn’t minded - seeing, her, hearing her, tasting her - was pleasure enough. She could see the bruises and marks of last night on Francesca’s naked body, and allowed her mind to momentarily wander to a few hours prior.

“...I admit, you are a quick learner. I was impressed.” Snapping back, Lae’zel ignored the off feeling in her chest at Francesca’s shy smile. “Though I still don’t understand. Why do you want this so badly? You should be stretching your muscles, not straining them needlessly.”

Francesca studied her frown, her eyes wide, faintly glowing in the dim moonlight. “I… want to be close to you again, just for a spell.” She pursed her lips, still slightly swollen and smudged with remnants of lip-paint, in a gentle pout. “Please?”

Tsk’va. She must know what she was doing. 

“Chk! Fine.”

“Yes!” Francesca’s face lit up, beaming, her eyes glowing with warmth. “Thank you, Lae’zel.”

When she held out a hand, Lae’zel reluctantly took it and crouched back down. “Just for a moment, understand? It’s -”

Her sentence was cut out by Francesca kissing her on the cheek.  “Almost sunrise, I know. I understand.” She wasn’t just happy - she was practically giddy with excitement as she took Lae’zel’s hands in hers. “Come here.” 

Why this obsession with cuddling, Lae’zel wondered. Francesca seemed more enthusiastic about this than the sex. She laid down, resting her arms at her sides, not entirely sure what she was supposed to be doing. 

Francesca wasted no time curling up against her, tucking her arm across Lae’zel’s chest and shoulder and nestling her face against her neck. Her breath was warm. She was soft - mostly, except for the ridges here and there which these… tief…lings seemed to have, which scratched against her skin. She should know - she’d felt it not an hour ago when she had her underneath her. This was… different, though. 

"You're so stiff," murmured Francesca. "You can try to relax a bit, you know." Her tail flicked against Lae'zel's thigh.

"I am resting." She was lying down.

"...alright."

There was a gentle pull at one of her hands and Lae'zel almost resisted, but she found herself letting her arm be guided until it was draped over Francesca's hip, and her body was turned in more towards her. Francesca’s legs bumped into hers as she settled them into the position. 

She could feel the lines of the ridges on Francesca’s hip under her fingers. Before she realised what she was doing, as if her hand was moving outside of her control, she found herself stroking them with her thumb. 

Francesca hummed in response, pulling Lae'zel a little tighter. “Yes - like that,” she said, her voice muffled by Lae'zel's skin. 

They lay there in silence, except for the quiet sound of their breathing. Francesca's hand was moving against her neck, her actions not clear until Lae'zel realized she was playing with her hair.

She should stop her. Though for some reason, oddly, she didn't feel any desire to. 

This close proximity, with both of them still naked, would normally be followed by a blaze of passion. But with Francesca against her now, Lae'zel didn't feel any desire to lay her again. That had already been taken care of. Instead there was …some other feeling tightening in her chest. 

She couldn't place it. It was uncomfortable, consuming. And it only felt stronger the more she focused on Francesca’s warming presence against her. 

She had to get a grip on herself. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped, loathe to disrupt Francesca’s gentle, even breathing.

What? 

No. What was this?

“Francesca,” she managed to say at last.

“Mhm?” Francesca’s voice was low, soft. She tilted her head up, the tip of her nose bumping against Lae’zel’s jaw. Lae’zel’s stomach flipped. 

“I - we should be getting up,” she forced out, trying to break away from this, whatever it was. Yet the feeling remained - it was even stronger now than before. She didn’t like it. She - no. She couldn’t like it - this -

“...fair enough. I guess I shouldn’t keep you,” Francesca yawned, stretching up and pulling away. Lae’zel felt the absence of pressure and almost tried to pull her down, before she caught herself. 

What was she doing? They had to get up. Even taking this long was wasting time, wasn’t it? 

Before she could dwell on it any longer, she shook herself and made to get up, reaching for her clothes and starting to put them on. Beside her, Francesca was doing the same, albeit much more slowly. “Mm, thanks for this. I know it’s something you’re unused to.” 

“I - Chk. It was no great challenge.” 

Francesca gave her an odd look at that, then smiled. “Well, whatever you say. I’ll see you in camp for breakfast?”

“Hm. Yes.” 

Their gazes met again. Francesca had stopped what she was doing - Lae’zel wasn’t sure exactly when. She was staring at Lae’zel, her full lips slightly parted. There was a soft look in her eyes, mirroring the look she’d given her earlier when she was fresh from sleep.

Lae’zel was suddenly aware of how close they were. That feeling spiked in her chest and she felt her breath hitch in her throat, her pulse speeding up. She jerked away, trying to ignore the burning feeling on her cheeks. 

For some reason, she didn’t want to picture the disappointment on Francesca's face. 

“See you later,” Francesca called after her.

Lae’zel didn’t turn around. In whatever bizarre state she was in right now, she wasn’t sure she would be able to leave if she did.