Jaheira - Blog Posts
I may not have grown up playing the earlier Baldur's Gate games, but I, too, find myself getting excited whenever Jaheira shows up.
Is like "It's her! It's she! Hi Jaheira! Hiiii!"
Current situation: eating a cupcake while taking a bath because I got a massage yesterday and the masseuse beat the shit out of me.
Also wondering whether Jaheira and Astele would be bath girls or shower girls?
I bet Astele would appreciate the quickness of a shower, while Jaheira would be a long, hot bath lover with bath bombs and bath teas and shit like that.
Jaheira would have one of those deep copper bathtubs so the water would stay hotter for longer.
Astele would have a stand-up shower and only soak when Jaheira invited her to bathe together.
I don’t think either would eat cupcakes.
Posting this here because it’s one of my faves and because there’s nothing you can do to stop me!
Sewer Journals
What this fic has:
Jaheira being nosy as hell
Smut (because it’s me and apparently I can’t just write a regular fic - it’s not reeeally dirty like usual tho!!)
Ultra-soft Nine-Fingers Keene (deal with it)
What this fic does not have:
Uhm. Idk. Jaheira showing restraint like she ought to since she’s the High Harper and old as hell
Summary:
“Jaheira let out an amused breath. Sewer journals. It would appear the Underduke kept detailed diaries. Coded details of all past, present, and possibly future Guild business? A clear advantage; knowledge she absolutely must learn. She picked an older red one and opened it to a random page. She had long ago learned the code in which Nine-Fingers wrote her Guild communications, but the code in these pages seemed slightly different. Certain symbols and letters replaced ones that Jaheira knew well. But she was a quick study, always had been.”
Someone desperately needs to take photo mode away from me.
Anyway, take a break from your mental illness to enjoy mine. I’ll warn you, these are poorly done and NSFW.
Jaheira x Nine-Fingers (technically my Tav, but we’re all on tumblr to use our imaginations, right??)
Jaheira: “Nine-Fingers - Astele.”
Nine-Fingers: “Anything I can do to take that wrinkle from your brow, grandmother?”
Me: screaming and scheming and getting out my red string
the most fun a girl can have is finding parallels, noticing patterns, making connections, contemplating
My work program crashed at 10:30 and never came back up, so no records were managed today. I accomplished nothing except eating a bag of cookies that served 3 and talking to friends online to keep me company. I believe my day here is done! I’m going to go home to my lovely wife and my four favorite gals 💃🏻
Headcanon!
Bowling headcanon that no one asked for (in addition to the one I did about hockey)
Tav: arranges every single game because they’re the only responsible one; is very good at bowling and owns their own ball, shoes, bag, and towel; somehow never gets a turkey but can hit a 7-10 split
Durge: tries to stab someone when they roll a gutter ball; has to rent shoes; spends the night pretending to sacrifice the pins to Bhaal
Karlach: very good at bowling, but doesn’t take it seriously; tends to order pitchers of beer and gets too drunk to throw the ball down her own lane
Lae’zel: also very good at bowling, but takes the game way too seriously; has her own ball, shoes, bag, towel, and embroidered bowling shirt (Shadowheart embroidered it for her)
Shadowheart (Selûnite): doesn’t bowl, but does like the little claw machine game in the arcade area where she can win owlbear stuffies; cheers on Lae’zel from the spectator area when she’s done playing in the arcade
Shadowheart (Dark Justiciar): what is bowling and who the fuck are these people?
Astarion: much like with hockey, won’t play because he might break a nail (also because even the children’s balls are too heavy for him); spends the whole time gossiping with Jaheira, Shadowheart, and Isobel in the spectator area; tries to convince them to leave and get tacos and margaritas instead because bowling is “droll”
Wyll: very good at bowling and takes it only an inch less serious than Lae’zel; also has his own towel, shirt, bag, shoes, and ball
Gale: spends the entire time “educating” everyone on the historical beginnings of the game and how it has evolved over time; uses magic to cheat because he usually spins gutter balls
Halsin: excellent at bowling; brought the game to the Emerald Grove; is as serious as Wyll and loves it when he gets a turkey (he makes a gobble-gobble noise every time)
Minthara: “IN MENZOBERRANZAN THE MALES RESET THE PINS” (she’s yelling because she and Karlach are having a drinking contest that only Minthara knows about); is surprisingly good at bowling when she’s not sloshed; owns her own ball and shoes, but NOT because she likes the game (she does, but would rather die than admit it)
Jaheira: very good at bowling, but doesn’t play anymore because of arthritis; hangs out with Shadowheart in the spectator area above the pit and cheers on everyone
Minsc: Boo has to remind Minsc how to bowl, but once Minsc understands, he dominates; he also gets very drunk with Karlach
Dame Aylin: same with hockey, she was there when it was created and helped design the lanes; “HARK! THY LANES HATH MARKINGS UPON THEM THAT RESEMBLE MOON MOTES IN HONOR OF MY DIVINE MOTHER” (they’re just arrows and range markers, but don’t tell Aylin that); absolutely amazing at bowling; has her own gear that matches her armor perfectly
Isobel: doesn’t bowl, but comes to every single game to cheer on Dame Aylin and Dame Aylin only; sometimes sneaks off to the arcade with Shadowheart
Bonus -
Mizora: thinks the whole game is idiotic, but wants to be included; doesn’t bowl; spends the whole time making bets on who will get the highest score (but the bet is someone’s soul, cuz, yanno, Mizora)
Ketheric Thorm: very good at bowling - was on a league before his wife and Isobel died; spends the night trying to reconnect with Isobel by telling her “back in my day” stories (it doesn’t go well)
Orin: same as Durge, really, but with a dash more chaos; she also rents shoes but doesn’t wear socks
Gortash: greasy ass fry cook (I will not apologize)
Pipe Smoke - Chapter 2
Dawn broke over the city's trees, casting pinks and reds and oranges over their misty green leaves. But no sunlight dare shine through to the dim sewer office where Jaheira hung tightly to Astele's skin, curled against her like a cat seeking shelter from the rain. Eventually, Jaheira exhausted herself of dreams and stirred ever so slightly. The corners of her lips turned up in a grin as she remembered the previous night's events.
It had all started when Astele stole her a yellow orchid from someone's jacket pocket at the Elfsong Tavern. She did it to make Jaheira laugh - to steal something right in front of the High Harper, then present it to her as a gift she couldn't refuse. Astele had said, "Petty theft for a pretty girl," then gently tucked the flower behind Jaheira's ear. She remembered forgetting, if only for a moment, that she was over a century and a half years old and had a house full of children waiting for her down the street. Instead, she had smiled bashfully at the Guildmaster's comment and fluttered her eyelashes like she was twenty-something all over again.
But it wasn't really the flower or even the comment that had brought on the sudden bashfulness. It was knowing that, in a room full of patrons who had flowers stuck in their suit jackets, Astele knew her well enough to steal the yellow orchid. And that was what made Jaheira's heart skip a beat.
Astele stirred underneath her, grunting lightly as she did. She squeezed Jaheira lightly to let her know she was awake, then pressed a sleepy kiss to the top of her gray braids of hair. "You talk in your sleep, Harper," Astele teased, her voice gruff and low.
Jaheira hummed then replied, "And you steal flowers to stick in women's hair so you can get them into your bed."
Astele chuckled, lightly shaking Jaheira as she did. "Worked, didn't it?"
Jaheira softly smacked Astele's side under the blanket, silently chiding her for trying to rile Jaheira up too early in the morning. "What other kinds of trinkets does the Guildmaster give women to lure them back to her lair?" Jaheira shot back with her own brand of teasing.
Astele opened one eye, catching the playful spark in Jaheira's hazelnut eyes. She smirked. “You really want to know?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t,” Jaheira replied, her voice was softer than it was before. A part of her still hadn’t fully recovered from the tenderness from the tavern and from the entire night.
Astele exhaled, not ready, but figuring it was better now than never. She turned fully onto her side to face Jaheira, hummed thoughtfully, and began counting on her fingers - the hand with all five of them. “Cinnamon. I’d bring you freshly cured sticks to burn in the evenings, because you said once it reminds you of the groves near Athkatla in late spring.”
Jaheira raised an eyebrow. She had said that—years ago. Once. In passing on a night that she'd lost to Lady Lockjaw at cards. She hadn’t even remembered it until now.
Astele continued, her voice lazy and soft. “Honeyed figs from a stall near the Temple of Ilmater. You always buy them for the little ones, but you take one for yourself thinking no one notices."
She furrowed her brow and she thought of even more. "Lemon tea. Strong, sweet. A steaming mug with a touch of honey. The kind no one else in your house drinks except you.”
Jaheira stared, unable to process the list Astele was rattling off. All the things she loved that she didn't think anyone ever noticed.
“Green ink,” Astele went on, ticking yet another finger. “You only ever write in green ink and you hoard those little glass jars like they're made of gold.”
A laugh choked out of Jaheira before she could help it, sharp and surprised. “I do not hoard them," she exclaimed.
“Ten in your desk. Three hidden behind the books in your study. Don’t lie to a professional thief, Jaheira.” Astele laughed herself and added, "There's probably more down in your sanctuary, too. If I had to guess, I'd say… six more little bottles all hidden in crates."
It wasnt a guess at all and Jaheira knew it. The High Harper covered her face with one hand, feeling a rush of warmth washing up her throat and over her cheeks. “Gods, you are insufferable!”
“I know.” Astele caught and held her gaze, sky blue meeting earthy hazel. “You also like rainy days when you don’t have to be out in the wet mess. You fall asleep to the patter of raindrops and gentle rush of wind. Thunder scares you if it's too loud, but you love to watch lightening crackle against the black sky of night. You hate it when people eat while standing, and Rion does it just to annoy you. You keep your boots polished even if you're going out into the wilds or a grove out of respect for nature. You double-knot Fig's cloaks because you don’t trust her to do it right.” Her voice then dropped to a whisper. “You mourn in silence. And when you love something, you never say it out loud. You just… guard it. With everything you have and everything you are.”
The silence after that was long, heavy with all the things Jaheira could not admit, but felt deep in her heart. “You just happen to know all of that?” Jaheira asked, her voice hoarse.
“I watched over the years,” Astele said simply. “Listened. You don’t talk much about yourself, so I learned by paying attention.”
Jaheira propped herself up a bit to face her fully, brushing silver hair behind her ear. “But… why?
Astele hesitated, her eyes flicking away for the barest moment before coming right back. “Because I didn’t know how to tell you I loved you,” she said in a voice barely audible. “So I memorized you instead.”
Pipe Smoke
It was the pipe smoke that roused her from a deep slumber. After the rush of soft hands and velvet lips, gentle gasps and shaking hips. After words said at least five years overdue, perhaps even longer. It was after the simple rustling of leaves had turned into a tempest of sweat and flame and arching release. It was the pipe smoke that roused her.
The night had been slow and sweet; reverent even. Holy. Both of them taking turns being cleric and goddess, intent on heavenly worship of the other. It was the type of delicate lovemaking she had gotten used to once upon a time, and not something she thought she’d ever feel again. Warmth and life crept back into her tired bones, stirring them to shiver and hum, stirring her chest to rise and fall, breaths coming in rapid successive gasps twice, no, thrice, in one night.
It had felt like home.
And maybe that’s why she said it, mumbled it under her still ragged breath whilst halfway dreaming. “Smoke in the study, Khalid.”
The smell of an old long leaf, a tobacco antique even to her, lingered, then lazily mellowed into nothingness. Her breathing settled back into an even rhythm when no new smoke flooded her dreams. Suddenly, she was being gently pulled by a strong, yet wiry arm. She twisted her body against warm, pink flesh, her cheek finding a new place to rest atop a soft, broad shoulder. The smell and feel was so similar and so, so safe. She curled into it, smiling. A soft sigh escaped her lips in response to a whispered comment she couldn’t quite hear.
— —
That experience was… different. Not at all what she was used to. Her line of work didn’t leave room for softness, kindness, gentle touches, or fluttering kisses in the aftermath of a storm. She was used to the feeling of her dark-haired kingpin’s sharp dagger trailing down her spine after a victorious coup, or a quick nightcap with a golden-haired lady after a stressful day of negotiations - her court wasn’t there just for fucking protection, after all.
And she was used to being in control.
Every order obeyed, every enemy quaking in fear of her vicious wrath, every kingpin and guild member falling neatly in line lest they meet an undesirable fate either at her own hand or upon her command. She wasn’t used to subservience. Or giving into temptation. Or whispering sweet lover’s words in the heat of passion - she wasn’t sure she was used to passion. But she was used to being the one calling the shots.
So when her - lover? Ally? Frenemy? Mumbled about smoking in the study, she scoffed. An eyebrow raised slowly at being called the name of a dead husband. Either she’d done a good job, or the old crone was finally losing her fucking mind. She scoffed, yet she found herself sitting down her tinderbox, letting the tobacco she had just lit die out, then working her fingers to empty out the bowl even though she was in her own fucking office.
She thought about a quip. A wry comment lay on the tip of her tongue and she opened her mouth to say it. Then she shut it. Instead of flinging a well crafted and very witty insult, she rose from her chair, shed the oversized tunic she had thrown on, and slid back into her bed. Her strong arm pulled the other woman on top of her, waking her just enough so she could twist to rest her head upon her new pillow’s broad shoulder.
“You’re lucky you’re only half a Harper, grandmother,” she whispered into a mess of gray hair.
The only response she received was in the form of a soft sigh.
💚Jaheira x Astele: 19 Fingers FanFic Contest💚
Vote for your favourite fic!
So I made a drawing, and these AMAZING yet mysterious writers brought it to life! Thank you so much!
Now it's time to determine the winners!
Take a break, read some great fics, and vote for the one you love most.
The entries:
⚔️ Stay
https://bit.ly/STAYfic
⚔️ Jaheira and Astele ⚔️ 🌹
https://bit.ly/JaheiraXAstele
⚔️ Stakeout
https://bit.ly/STAKEOUT
⚔️ Sweetness captures honeybees in time
https://bit.ly/SWEETNESSfic
💚Vote here https://bit.ly/JAstele💚
🏆 Prizes:
The two top-voted writers will win an A4 print of the 19 Fingers drawing + a choice of one Jaheira A5 print.
Two runner-ups will each receive an A5 Jaheira print.
DEADLINE for voting: 4th May (7 days)
💜 Thank you so much for your support - it means the world, really!
Izz
(Vote sharing link is https://bit.ly/JAstele)
So the new photo mode poses are fun. :P
"come home and see my girl cave :)" I say flirtily. You agree, imagining a rec room with some couches and maybe a few vintage consoles. I lead you down into the basement, where I have carved out a slimy grotto with its own ecosystem. by the time you see me dive into the water and come up with a fish in my teeth, it's too late. You want to fuck me so badly.
“Fingertips or fingernails, grandmother? Doesn’t matter. You’ll remember me either way.”
mfw when larian didn't include a secret Jaheira romance in patch 8 despite my delusions...gilf enjoyers are the most oppressed gamers truly
My face being stuck at work and not able to enjoy patch 8!
Jaheira needs a full spa day and I am ready to deliver it
