The night was cool and quiet when you felt the sudden sharp pain that came to you every month. Your stomach cramped and with that all your muscles jumped and stiffened. It was not enough that you had to live in a tent and sleep on a bedroll , live in a commune with a bunch of strangers, but you also had to bleed once a month in such unbearable conditions. You crawled down from the bedroll with a soft groan , to get some fresh air. Almost everyone was already asleep, except for one person who was reading in front of his tent as usual , and drinking red liquid from a goblet. Only the gods know what was in his glass... You didn't care much though, because you just wanted to curl up in front of the campfire, to warm up and suffer quietly.

The melodic sounds of the nocturnal creatures and the crackling of the campfire had a calming effect on your nerves, but the knowledge that you had to survive these few days without any comforts made you frustrated. There was no running water, only a large wooden bucket, but without herbs there was no point to sitting in it. The camp conditions made your period feel dirty...

You whimpered softly during another cramps when the sound of hesitant, soft footsteps hit your ears. You looked up and saw Astarion standing in front of you. He looked down at you softly , yet his red eyes flashed in the darkness. For a while he just stared at you silently in the light of the campfire as if he was thinking about what to say to you. The faint fire light shimmered yellow on his white curly hair, as it did on the gold earcuffs adorning his pointed ears. He didn't know you well enough to dare to ask what he wanted, but it was obvious that his vampiric instincts whispered to him what it was all about... You saw his nostrils widen and he inhaled the heady aroma of your menstruation. You felt ashamed of yourself... Could you smell that much, that badly ? Or was it only him who knew ? You placed your palms uncomfortably in front of your stomach and looked down at the ground. Astarion quickly licked his lips and closed his eyes for a moment to gather himself, then looked at you again and asked the following in a calm, longing voice.

"... Tell me, my dear, do you need any... help? I see that you're not feeling too well, sitting here in front of the campfire like some dumped pet..."