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The night may have just been Tav’s favorite time of the day. There was no worrying about keeping everyone alive and healthy, no constant voice in her mind telling her what to do and where to go, and even better she got to just lay down in her tent with her newly found drow lover and just relax.
With Minthara she was safe. Anyone that would dare enter her tent without an invitation would be cut down before Tav even had the chance to open her eyes. Even in sleep Minthara always seemed to be aware, probably because she always had to be in Menzoberranzan.
Minthara was absolutely stunning, whenever she took her white hair out of her bun and just let it flow, Tav would fall in love more. She was passionate too, the words she would say to Tav would have made anyone swoon, but Minthara, ever the loyal one, refused to say them to anyone else. She made Tav feel so special, always so observant about the little things that made Tav who she was.
“My love, you are missing an eye.”
Maybe a tad too observant sometimes.
Tav shifted uncomfortably at the statement, honestly she was surprised it took the other drow this long to notice her left eye was a fake. Then again, they had been a bit too busy trying to defeat an undead general to really stare into eachothers eyes (well- eye for tav) for more than a few seconds.
“I am.” Tav confirmed, part of her hoped Minthara wouldn't ask about it, because Tav would never lie to Minthara, and the truth was quite embarrassing, and not at all some epic story like Wyll’s missing eye had been.
“Can I ask what happened?” Minthara asked, giving her that soft look that was only reserved for Tav’s eyes- or well, eye. She could tell Minthara expected some great battle, or a tale of tragic loss.
“I lost it.” Tav sighed, shaking her head dramatically.
Minthara simply looked at her, clearly not amused with her vagueness but willing to drop the matter if Tav so desired. Eventually she would have to tell the other drow, she knew Minthara would be forever curious.
Tav frowned and reached a hand to her fake eye to take it out, “it is such an embarrassing and stupid story, Minthara.” She held the eye out for Minthara to look at, “I am incredibly embarrassed it even happened.”
Minthara looked down at the prosthetic eye, then back at Tav’s real eye. They weren't anywhere near the same color, while Tav’s eye was a very pale blue that almost looked white, the prosthetic was a bit of a darker blue, but still looked like it could be some case of heterochromia. “What happened?” Minthara asked as Tav went to put the eye back in.
“I let a man named Volo stab it out.”
Silence.
“You… you what..?”
Tav scrunched her hands together and looked down, “I told him about the tadpole, and he said he could remove it for me. He did some research before and I thought- what exactly was the worst that could happen? He just doesn't remove it? I didn't know his method of extraction was going to be him just hammering into my eye with a needle and ice pick, but I had already agreed to let him do it- it would have been cowardly to stop now. And I mean- I would rather lose an eye and have him extract the tadpole, rather than turn into a mind flayer, not that I thought I was going to lose it, but apparently getting stabbed repeatedly in the eye can cause it to not be secure in your face anymore.”
More silence.
Minthara’s hand lifted Tav’s chin up so she was eye to eye with her drow lover, her gaze wasn't soft anymore, it was stern.
“You let him stab you?”
“Well yes-”
“In the head?”
“I mean it was the eye-”
Minthara was silent again, before something seemed to click in her head and her hand dropped from Tavs chin, “The one in the cage with the ridiculous outfit, the one that escaped, his name was Volo. This was recent.”
“I mean it wasnt that recent.”
“We had already met.” Minthara stated, a dark look suddenly appearing in her eye that promised bloodshed.
“Uh, yes.”
“You had already met the others.”
“Um, yes?”
Minthara scowled, pure fury plaguing her face, “and yet- they still allowed for you to be that stupid? They sat down and watched as this man tore your eye out of its socket, and they didn't try to stop it from happening?”
Tav frowned and sat up straighter, “well they can't exactly control my decisions- but they did warn me-”
“Ridiculous!” Minthara cut her off, “if I had been there with you when this happened I would have dragged you away from the foolish man, and then proceed to slit his throat for even suggesting it! I would have gouged his eyes out!”
Tav put her hands on top of Minthara’s clenched fists and began to try and calm the woman down. “It's okay, my love! I am fine, see? I am here and I am still alive! He did not hurt me!”
Minthara scowled at her, “but he did! You are missing an eye! He blinded you! He weakened you! I can't believe nobody tried to stop you or him! Do you even understand that you got away lucky? He could have gone too deep! He could have killed you! And yet you would say it is fine? It is not!” The anger in Minthara’s face suddenly drained, and Tav could swear she saw the drow’s eyes water slightly. “I could have lost you before I ever truly found you. If he had killed you, nobody would have saved me from the Absolute, and- and I would have just been a husk of a woman. I would have never known what it truly felt to fall in love with someone, and trust them not to stab you in your sleep. I would have never truly met you.”
Tav felt her gaze soften and the drows' vulnerability, and she couldn't even control the way her hands pulled Minthara’s up to her lips, “you’re right, it was stupid. But I'm alive, and you’re okay. And now I have you here to stop me from doing stupid shit.”
The anger flushed from Minthara’s face, and that soft look came back, she quickly (and quite aggressively) pulled Tav back a heated kiss, before pushing her back onto the ground.
“If I ever see that Volo man again, I will gouge out both his eyes and slit his throat.”
Tav smiled as she pulled Minthara into an open mouthed kiss.
“And if anyone even dares to try and touch your other eye, I will take theirs.” Minthara stated as she leaned into another kiss.
Tav laughed into the kiss and broke apart from the drow, “it's a good thing I have no intention of going fully blind then.”
Minthara kissed her again, tongue pushing against Tav’s as she put both her hands on the sides of the other drow’s head. “I would find a way to bring back your sight, no matter the cost.”
“I wouldn't expect anything less.” Tav smirked as Minthara’s mouth slowly worked its way down her neck.