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Blog Post 67: The Adventure Shop: Part 34

3/13/25

Valentine lay in Laz’s lap, drained from all the times they had taken her to the captain’s cabin. Every one of her snakes had given up protesting, and she preferred to keep her eyes shut now even if they were behind her blindfold. With her weakened state, she felt herself more likely to lash out at the people who were helping keep her sane if provoked. A side effect of being a Gorgan.

But it felt familiar. 

All too familiar from her past. The reason she left her home and stayed with Jubair. He saw her as more than a Gorgan. Where many she had met either saw her as a monster or a manufacturer of poisons to destroy others. 

Jubair saw her talents and allowed her to join the group that had become her family.

“Are you awake?” Laz asked as he played with her hair of snakes. They seemed to like the attention as they wrapped around his fingers before he gently pulled through them with his fingers.

“Yeah.” She left her eyes closed and let herself enjoy the soothing motion. “Are the others asleep?”

“Yep. Right now it is just you and me.” She felt him grip her hand with his other one as she felt him breathe out. “How are you?”

“I am okay.”

“Really? Because I do not believe you.”

“Tadgh used to say that,” she said solemnly. Valentine felt Laz shift uncomfortably and she took off her blindfold to look up at him. “I am sorry. I appreciate you asking, it is just hard. I didn’t realize how much he was there for me until now. Now I miss him. His presence. How somehow Tadgh was always at my side.”

“He saw you as more than just a comrade.” Laz looked down at her, his black hair falling slightly over his face. “For that matter, I do too.” 

She reached up to move the hair from his face. “You thought of Tadgh as more than a comrade too?” 

She smirked as he blushed. “No.” He turned his face away from her. “I see you as more than a comrade, but I never said anything. Now it seems poor timing since my competition is in a glass case, and our lives are not guaranteed even now.”

“You and Tadgh always think too much.” 

“Says our strategist.”

“I think too much and I see the variables in situations. And I think with a purpose. You think and run yourself in circles.”

“So I should stop thinking so much?”

“No, but give yourself a deadline or a goal to get off of the loops. Give it a purpose. Otherwise, it just becomes stress and causes anxiety. If you give it a deadline and then write it out, it helps to purge it from your thoughts and then it is no longer yours to think about.”

“What if it is something that I am not sure how to share?”

“Find someone you trust and share it with them, or write it in a notebook you guard with your life.” 

“You’re jesting.”

“No, why do you think I am always writing?”

“Did you see Tadgh as more than a comrade?” Laz asked as the snakes in her hair hissed happily, and she sighed as he massaged her head.

Their captors were so rough taking the venom she was certain a few of her snakes had bruises from mistreatment. 

“Yes, I did,” she answered as Laz hissed in a sharp breath. “I saw him like a companion and a best friend, similar to a brother, but I am not sure if I ever saw him as a romantic interest. I never gave him time to see him as anything else. And now I will never know.”

“They are planning on bringing him back.”

“What they are bringing back is a life. There is no guarantee it will be his, and too often what is brought back is not something that should be allowed on our plane of existence.” 

“True,” Laz answered.

He was silent and she listened to him breathing and the soft sores of the others. Poor Hazel was exhausted, and even if she traveled all over for someone her age, it sounded like she usually had provisions to help her sleep in more comfortable places, but in the tiny prison, it was just the bars and the uncomfortable wood floors and sides. It seemed to take a toll on Hazel in a way that Dahlia shared she had not seen before.

“What are you thinking about?” Laz asked.

“We have to make a plan. A way to get out of here. We can’t let them have Dahlia, and Hazel is getting worse. Even Lothar seems less like himself. He only snuck out of here twice. He is scared. Even Aislin hasn’t gotten him to play like she usually does. I don’t know how, but we have got to take control of this ship.”

“We will get the upper hand. We just need to refocus and remember who we are.” 

“A rich vampire who was bored sleeping all day and wanted some friends?” 

He looked down at her. “Ha. Ha. You are so funny. It is a wonder Jubair ever let me join.”

“He said we had to be nice to you when you started because you had a castle we could escape to in case we got in too deep and needed to hide. And also that you liked to spend money so you could help provide funding for the supplies for some jobs we were hired to do.”

“Yes, I do like shopping. And I was bored, but my family never cared. It was always so formal. That is what I like about all of you. You were messy and argued a lot, but you cared about each other. I wanted that.”

“And you became a part of it. You became a part of our messy family. You were just the only one with a house to go back to at the end of the day. But I think we needed you a bit  messy too.”

She turned her face away and felt her cheeks heat. “You annoyed me at first, but I stopped thinking about you as a comrade a while ago.”

“You thought I was annoying?” he asked in surprise.

Valentine turned back to look at him. “That is what you got out of that?”

“No, I just wanted you to look at me.” He smirked. “So, what do you think of me now?”

“You are still annoying.” She grimaced.

“Am I?” he replied, getting closer to her face. “Am I?” he repeated, getting ever so close.

She looked up at him and her breath caught at how close Laz was to her face.

“Am I?” he asked softly.

“Yes. You are so very annoying,” she replied just as quietly as he voiced his question.

He leaned in and Valentine reached up and almost swore at how stiff her muscles were. He stopped suddenly and looked into her eyes. “I, uh, may I–” He breathed out a frustrated sigh. “May I kiss you?”

“Ever the gentlemen.” Valentine shook her head, laughing a little.

“I am a noble,” he said confidently.

“Yes.”

“Wait. Yes to kissing you, or yes I am a noble?”

“Both, you ridiculous vampire.” She closed the distance between them and felt her stomach flip when she felt his lips.

The moment his shock seemed to dissipate she felt him kiss her back, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Yay. You are together. It was very sweet. I am happy for you both, but I would appreciate you being quiet now so we can get some sleep,” Hazel said from the corner, not even opening her eyes.

“That was wonderful! Lothar and I just thought it was perfect! It makes me feel all bubbly inside!” Aislin said, floating up a little.

“So, everyone was awake?” Laz asked with a deep red blush.

“Well, we are less than three feet from each other so it is kind of hard to have a personal moment.” Dahlia shrugged, but she seemed just as happy to have her sleep interrupted.

“Hey, I am a fan of taking your moment. If I have learned anything from adventuring, it is making sure to tell people how you feel. And even in rough moments, it is nice to know that something good can happen.” Riskar grinned brightly at the two of them and the others.

Valentine shook her head again, amused and embarrassed. “So, I guess that happened.”

Laz leaned in and kissed her nose. “Yes. And I would not mind it happening again.”

“Enlazenious Herrim Rallcour, I will come over and separate you two if you do not let me get some sleep,” Hazel growled.

“Sorry, she is not her best self when she is sleep-deprived,” Dahlia said, apologizing for her. “How did you know his full name?” she asked Hazel.

Hazel sighed. “When traveling with younger adventurers I like to have all the information I need as the usual grandma of the group. It helps with authority, but I knew that kid and his family before the trip. Now, let me be at peace. Go to sleep, Laz, or kiss her quietly.”

Laz smirked, looking only at Valentine. “I like the second option,” he whispered.

“We do not need to know!” Hazel growled out, before breathing deeply twice.

As Hazel began to snore, Laz looked around the room at the remaining friends he had. Their beaming faces and encouragement were all he needed to lean in closer.

Valentine smiled as she wondered if it was okay to let down her guard for once and just enjoy the moment with the annoying vampire she had had a crush on since she met him.

For once she would enjoy the moment and the start of something that seemed too good to be true.