#daughter of keyleth and vax

[shorthaltsjester]

watching the sdcc panel and i am just very :) about how sweet their answers to “what are some of the micro moments from the game that have stuck with you the most over the years?” are. taliesin saying what the fuck is up with that which was the first like The Party Gets To Know Each Other moments of c3. travis saying asking his wife if he could kiss her in campaign. marisha going way back to the cannonball competition in campaign one. ashley choosing the beauyasha date but also just the silly goat noise matt made. liam adding onto that to compliment matt roleplaying grass so well and then saying his favourite moment was writing a story for laura and reading it to her as caleb for jester. and then matt saying that was his answer, and that his favourite moments of the game are when they find ways to give gifts to each other whether tangible or not. and sam saying his favourite moments have less to do with the story and is more so when he can just. see his friends across the table from him. when marisha perches and when laura and ashley are (badly) drawing dicks and liam saying he loves when sam sneezes and ashley tells him to stop it and just. yeah. they Are an extremely popular online powerhouse, but i’m so happy that they’re also friends building a world together out of gifts to and love for one another.

like i Am so enamoured with the characters and the world of exandria but the moments when you can feel the love that those people have for each other reach out from behind the stained glass of their performances (to steal a metaphor from brennan lee mulligan) are so extremely special and i am endlessly grateful that they decided to share their silly little home game with the world.

[utilitycaster]

Wait sorry I will discourse over basically anything but I literally do not see the point in having any thoughts over Orym telling Keyleth Imogen is Liliana's daughter other than "yeah Captain Obvious"; this is not like, trampling over someone else's viewpoint, this is "Imogen said something very unclear and the entire interaction made Orym's statement virtually moot anyway":

Probably most importantly, Keyleth isn't stupid and has, per the TCSR, +12 to insight. You think she sees a human woman with hair the exact same not-typically-found-in-humans shade of Liliana's and goes "golly gee who could that be?"

This happens immediately after an exchange in which FCG hedges on whether Liliana should be destroyed, and Imogen (again: looks a lot like Liliana) hesitantly says "well, she didn't help" and then proceeds to talk about how she too has powers that involve a bright white light and strange things happening after, and that it's wishful thinking to believe Liliana did something last minute to help. Again. Keyleth has +12 to insight and a positive intelligence score.

Marisha as Laudna suspects that Keyleth suspects but rolls low on insight, ie, the cast is openly thinking that Keyleth might be aware of the connection.

The exact words Imogen says to Orym are "Do you think you should tell her what y'all saw." This is extremely vague. I did not myself in the moment think this meant "the Raven Queen's vision"; I thought it meant more details of what had happened at the Tishtan site, especially in context of the prior discussion, which was about Liliana and not about Vax. I would not be surprised if Orym (and for that matter Liam) had a similar interpretation.

[quipxotic]

One of the things that stuck with me from last night was Liliana saying the powers of Exandria would hunt down the Ruidusborn if they didn’t release Predathos just to make sure it could never happen.

Ma’am, you’re aware you helped create that situation for yourself, your daughter, and everyone else like you both, right? And you could be spending your time finding a way for Ruidusborn to help prevent the release of Predathos to mitigate that possibility, but you’re not. So really you’re just worried about having any consequences to the path that you chose and actively brought into being.

Consequences for yourself, I mean. Orym, Orym’s family, your daughter, her girlfriend, their closest friends, Keyleth, Vax, Eshteross and countless other complete strangers just living their lives can die and suffer as consequences for your actions just fine. Oh, you claim you didn’t know about that? Didn’t know or willfully ignored it because you didn’t want to know?

[percyslist]

Vesper had been fussing all night, her cries ringing through the empty halls of the palace. Not wanting to disturb Vex, who had been sleeping peacefully next to him, Percy was the one to get up to care for their daughter. He’d always been a light sleeper anyways, and his wife needed the rest a whole lot more than he did.

In his half-awake haze, Percy barely remembered to fetch his glasses from his nightstand before he pulled himself from the warm comforts of his bed, careful not to wake Vex. He rushed through the hallways with stumbling feet, his vision still blurry from sleep. He opened the door to the nursery and winced as the noise of Vesper’s screaming got louder as he stepped into the room. “Come on now, little one,” he said as he scooped her into his arms.

He tried everything. He tried to give her the baby formula, hoping beyond all hope that she was just hungry. She wouldn’t take it.

“There’s one trait we share,” he told her. “Stubbornness. Though I had hoped that by some miracle, you’d be at least somewhat compliant.”

He rocked her back and forth, cooing soft assurances, but nothing he did seemed to appease his tiny daughter. He cringed again as her desperate shrieks continued, the sound piercing his ears.

“Well, fuck, Vesper,” he said, sitting on an armchair with her still crying in his arms, “I’m not sure what it is that you want from me.”

Vesper, who couldn’t yet understand her father’s frustration, continued to cry. Percy was on the verge of tears himself. He wasn’t like Vex, who had taken to parenthood naturally, as if it was a natural next step after the years they’d spent adventuring. Sure, he’d taken care of his little siblings when they were children, but that had been years ago, when he’d been a child himself.

And now, here he was, a grown man who couldn’t figure out how to get his infant daughter to go back to sleep.

He didn’t know what else he could possibly do, so with a sigh, he began to sing. It was hardly a lullaby, but it was a song Percy’s parents had used when he and his siblings were too fussy in the night. Some nights, it was the only thing that got them to shut up. Over the years, as he got older, the song became a constant in his life. Even in his adulthood, after he lost one family member after another, he would hum the song under his breath when he needed the comfort it brought him.

As the beginning lyrics hit her ears, Vesper stopped her wailing and looked up at him with curious eyes, as if she could understand the meaning behind the simple melody. As if she recognized the words she didn’t know yet.

“Echo of the clock tower

Footstep in the alleyway

Sweep of the wind sifting the leaves”

Percy thought of his family often. They constantly flooded his thoughts, bringing both bad and good memories of every variety. He thought of his siblings, wondering what they would have given to have the chance of the life that Percy now did. He thought of his parents, hoping to any god that would listen that he wouldn’t have to lose his children as they did.

He thought of Vox Machina: heroes who had almost reached the status of gods, torn apart by the unforgiving hand of the Raven Queen. Percy thought of his wife, the mother of his child, the love and light of his life. Vex, the woman who had once told him that she didn’t know what she was without her brother, the only one that had stood at her side throughout it all.

He thought of Keyleth, who was now the wise and brave leader of her people, how she had cried into Percy’s shoulder after everything, muttering nonsense about how much she would give for the opportunity to hold her partner in her arms again.

He thought of Vax: not quite dead but just out of reach, unable to have the life he more than deserved, the life that for some reason, Percy got in his place.

Yet another ghost to haunt him, to remind him of his many shortcomings. Another raven to watch on from his windowsill.

Percy kept singing.

“Jeweler of the spider web

Connoisseur of autumn’s opulence

Blade of lightning harvesting the sky”

He thought of the Gods, of their cruelty and their indifference towards human affairs. When it came down to it, they cared for no one and nothing but themselves. He’d seen their selfishness firsthand.

“Keeper of the small gate

Choreographer of entrances and exits

Midnight whisper traveling the wires”

He thought of the Raven Queen, the stone-cold ruler over death and fate, the god that had pried away Percy’s chances of a normal life when he was nothing but a child.

“Seducer, healer,

Deity or thief?

I will see you soon enough”

Someday, he would be able to ask her why, face to face. He would be able to look her in the eye and demand to know why he got to live instead of his mother, his father, his siblings. He would demand to know why he got to live and Vax didn’t.

He would muster the courage to ask the questions he was too afraid to find the words for now.

Vesper had fallen asleep again, nestling into Percy’s chest. As he looked down at his young daughter, he could feel his anger evaporate, turning into a soft adoration of his child, an appreciation for the life he had gained in exchange for the one he had lost all those years ago. He had built a new branch of the family he had once considered lost to history, and for that opportunity, he was eternally grateful. But did the growth compensate for the destruction that had taken place, all those years ago?

Had the Raven Queen granted Percy new life in a way that made up for the ones she had taken so mercilessly? Was it worth it, now that he had Vex, now that he had Vesper? Would anyone ever be able to fill the empty chasms that had taken up residence in Percy’s soul since he had lost everything? Could anyone ever hope to replace his parents or his brothers and sisters? Could anyone ever bring back the man Percival de Rolo could have become, if he had not been consumed by vengeance at such an early age?

His thoughts turned to each sibling that he lost. In his head, he recited each of their names in a silent chant. A promise to remember.

Julius, Vesper, Oliver, Whitney, Ludwig.

Vax’ildan, he added, after a moment’s hesitation. Yes, they weren’t actually related, but for all intents and purposes, they were brothers. There was no other way to describe their relationship, in the years they’d known each other.

“You have taken everyone I have ever dared to call a brother,” he whispered, half to himself, half to the God he knew wasn’t listening. “But you will not take my friends, my wife, my daughter. Not in the way you took them. Not in the way you took him.”

In the shadow of the rainfall

In the brief violet darkening of a sunset

But until then I pray

Watch over him

Julius. Vesper. Oliver. Whitney. Ludwig. Vax’ildan.

Watch over him

As the mountain guards it’s covert ore

And the harsh falcon

It’s flightless young

“You had better protect him,” he continued, “Because if I get there, and I find him to be anything less than the absolute pain in the ass he was in life, you and I are going to have a real fucking problem.”

And with those final words to the wretched goddess of death, he let himself fall asleep again, his beloved daughter safely curled into his chest.

—

Vex awoke to an empty bed, which wasn’t entirely a rare occasion, so she didn’t think much of it. With a groan and a great effort, she sat upright and padded through the hallways to check on Vesper.

She froze with her hand on the doorknob when she heard the sound of Percy’s soft snores coming from the inside of the nursery. As carefully as she could, she cracked the door open and stepped inside.

Percy sat slumped on the armchair, mouth hanging open and glasses crooked on his nose, his arms wrapped around Vesper, who slept peacefully. Vex laughed softly to herself at the sight, about to close the door again when she caught a flutter of black somewhere in her periphery.

Her eyes followed the movement to the windowsill, where a raven sat, watching.

[vaxxymachina]

Okay so this is more of a silly post than anything, but is still true to my fanon in the end.

Basically... Vax, but he keeps accidentally getting adopted.

Vax's many parents:

Elaina Heatherwood (human) -

Vax's biological mother

-

Syldor Vessar (elf) -

Vax's biological father

was abusive to Vax (and Vex) though, so Vax doesn't actually consider Syldor as his real father

-

Devanna Illean (elf) -

Syldor's ex-wife

Vax's stepmother

loves Vax as her own child

Vax loves her as another mother alongside Elaina

-

Scanlan Shortfoot (gnome) -

Vax's best friend and surrogate father

is married to Pike

-

Pike Shortfoot (gnome) -

Vax's best friend and surrogate mother

is married to Scanlan

-

Mr & Mrs Gilmore (humans) -

Vax dates their son, Shaun

they adore Vax a lot

they have threatened to fist fight Syldor if the man ever hurts Vax or Vex again

-

Vilya & Korrin (half-elves) -

Vax dates their daughter, Keyleth

they adore Vax a lot

they have barred Syldor from ever visiting Zephrah so it's always a safe place for Vax and Vex to visit

Vilya has promised to kill Syldor if the twins ever ask her to do so for them

-

Purvan Suul (demigod) -

Vax’s soul father

he accidentally created Vax while healing Vex's soul after Elaina was almost killed by necromantic cultists while she was still pregnant with Vex

Vax sees Purvan as his real father

-

The Matron of Ravens (god) -

Purvan’s partner

Vax's stepmother

Vax becomes her champion eventually

loves Vax as her own child

-

The Wildmother (god) -

Vax was raised to worship her as a kid

she sees and dearly loves all life on Exandria as her children

she empathises with Vax

she loves how Vax loves and explores nature

-

The Archeart (god) -

Vax was forced to worship him as a teenager

they look a lot alike

he empathises with Vax

he sees himself in Vax's love for magic and art

-

The Everlight (god) -

Vax worships her secretly

considers her champion, Pike, as her daughter

Vax is her champion's friend and surrogate son

she empathises with Vax

-

The Dawnfather (god) -

sees his champion, Vex, as his daughter

Vax is his champion's brother

he empathises with Vax

-

The Knowing Mistress (god) -

considers her champion, Scanlan, as her son

Vax is her champion's friend and surrogate son

she empathises with Vax

(now I need to commission art of Vax surrounded by his loving parents while Vilya and the Gilmores glare at Syldor who stands off to the side sulking)

///

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

pls them being understandably private about their daughter and such, but the thought of them doing a little showcase/concert show for some of their duets, and vex taking and posting a photo of just behind birdie sitting In her lap, so it's just a baby with 3 types of ear protection on, with a vm t shirt and vax and keyleth in the background on the stage, so cute.

Imagine Vox Machina doing a big concert and Cassandra and Kaylie being backstage and taking pictures of the kids looking up at the monitors of the concert with the biggest smiles as they watch their parents preform. They take some pictures together, Vax and Kiki in their crazy makeup with their little toddler with these massive headphones smiling between them.

Vex and Percy trend online when Vex posts a video of her and Percy improving a song using exclusively words their kids invented.

[demigoddessqueens]

Main masterlist 8

Staring at them in admiration

Critical Role 🎲

Vox machina - dancing with Percy / truth or dare? // the party with vampire!reader // but why me? // Vax and his fighting “buddy” // hand kisses // feeling “flirtatious” // love you?? // love me as a wyrm // Bloodborne!reader // the boys + dentist appointment // I love you 🥺 & I love you too 😄💕 // the love letter 💌 // Vax + writing prompt //

PercyxVex week 🩵🤍💙 - ao3 series

modern s/o series, canon/AU - Percy 💙 + others //

Mighty nein - modern AU //

Mollymauk Week - ao3 series

Bells 🔔 hells/Crown 👑 keepers - orym and his crush // Ashton x reader who likes pink things // spin the bottle //

Song fics (all fandoms) - keyleth song fic // BR batch 3 // songs for boys 1 // grog song fic //

Castlevania 🦇- Dracula with a colomba!reader // but why me? // hand kisses // facing BBG + CR // Dracula drabbles // Castlevania “I love you” prompt // Trevor + jealousy // Dracula and his love //

Marvel - boxer!Miguel // ares x Aphrodite // incorrect quotes // magician ✨friend // single dad!Miguel // incorrect quotes: swoon // incorrect quotes 3 //

Monster lover(s) 💕😈🥺 - hand holding prompt //

The dragon prince - aaravos x monarch!reader // aaravos + reincarnation //

Baldur’s Gate 3 - I really like the vamp // be nice to him ☹️ // I like Gale and 🦇 a lot // Astarion angst // incorrect quotes // astarion fluff // Gale + Wyll + Halsin fluff // Shadowheart and Karlach fluff // poly headcanons // romance novel // incorrect quotes // Gale + prompt // Astarion + prompt // Blood Lycan Tav // sun and moon + Astarion //

Blood of Zeus ⚡️- Hermes with grumpy!reader // Apollo x god!spouse of different pantheon //

Assassin’s Creed - July codexmonthly “Eden” // arno birthday headcanons // August codexmonthly // shay birthday headcanons // belated birthday headcanons // Haytham + angst headcanons // he needs a good cry // but why me? // smutty 🔥 Haytham // pregnant headcanons // snowed ❄️ in // sleep seggs // oc daughter // at the ball // learning languages // drunk Haytham // sleep seggs part 2 // hand kisses // Ezio drunk 🫠🥴 // September codexmonthly // Haytham proposal 💍 + wedding night // haytham sloppy toppy // assassins and “I love you” prompt // soft Haytham // more assassins fluff // Haytham + Ziio & reader // Frye birthday 🎉 headcanons // dullahan shay and vampire Haytham // boyfriend headcanons // November codexmonthly // Haytham smut

Codextober 2023 // ao3

Dragon 🐉 Age - why I like mages // Cullen + writing prompts //

Genshin Impact - I like the new guy 🩵🤍💙 // hand kisses + Miguel //

Star 🌟 Wars - touch starved + others // Ezra bridger //

The Last of Us - Joel + kisses //

[dreaming-in-4d]

Beauty and the Booze - Grog Strongjaw x Dragonborn Reader

Vox Machina arrived in a new town just as night was falling. They were all tired, hungry, and magically burnt out. Grog had already decided many miles ago that his allies were in need of ale. The group headed for the local tavern only to see a large crowd gathered around the entrance.

Our heroes asked one man, "what's this here, friend?"

"A weekly ritual at this point, stranger," he replied. "Another dumb schmuck has challenged (y/n)."

"(y/n)?"

"The blacksmith's daughter."

With his great strength and might need for booze, Grog plowed through the crowd. The goliath's companions follow behind. Once inside, the adventurers take in the sight of two figures sitting across from each other with several empty mugs and a number of spectators strewn about them.

On the left is the challenger; a large man nearly seven feet tall. To the right, the reigning champion, (y/n); a dragonborn lass with shining golden scales and sharp curving horns. Her smaller stature doesn't seem to deter her from downing multiple rounds of alcohol.

Grog gazes at the hardy female, feeling both impressed and infatuated. He couldn't help but stare as the ale dribbles down her chin and onto her chest, soaking into her soot-covered shirt.

The challenger seemed to be near his limit. Onlookers could see the man going pale. Moments later, he rushes from the building to unload his insides on the outside streets.

The bar erupts in a roar of rowdy cheers as their champion arose from her seat, pumping her fists in victory.

"She's perfect," Grog swooned. Pike looked up at her lovestruck friend and smiled.

"Well lads," the draconic dame chuckled proudly, "it's been fun but I gotta head out."

She began making her exit tipsily, bumping into our heroes and unintentionally tapping shoulders with Grog.

"Oh, sorry about that, bud," she said. Grog just stood there slack-jawed and with even less brain power than usual. "Right." She moved past the crowd and began making the trek back to her own home.

Percy went to the tavern owner and acquired a couple rooms for his party. Room 1: Percy, Vex, Vax, Keyleth. Room 2: Pike, Scanlan, Grog.

Most of the party were able to knock out pretty easily while one remained awake. Grog couldn't get (y/n) out of his head. She was everything he could've ever wanted, but judging by their interaction downstairs, he didn't know how to approach his feelings.

The goliath nudged Scanlan awake. The gnome groaned, looking up at his friend with tired eyes. "Ugh, Grog, it's late. What do you want?"

"I need to ask you something," Grog explains, "do you uh...do you believe in love at first sight?"

Upon learning that this was a romantic matter, Scanlan sat up from his cot. "Well buddy," he began, "if you look just a little bit to your left you'll have your answer."

The duo moved their vision towards the sleeping form of Pike.

"I don't get it," Grog responds.

Scanlan refrains from smacking his own forehead at his friend's utter obliviousness. "Yes, Grog. Yes I do."

"Okay. And say you want to try to impress the person you're in love with. What would you do?"

"Well, going by my own talents, I'd most likely spin a heartfelt song for them. But that's me. You need to think about what you're good at."

"Hmm...fighting, smashing things...fighting...and drinking. Oh my gods. Scanlan I think I just had an amenity."

"I think you mean epiphany," Scanlan commented.

"Yeah that too"

With the situation supposedly remedied, the two friends returned to their sleep.

--

The next morning, Grog conspired with his two gnome friends on how to get (y/n)'s attention. The plan was for Grog to be the next person to challenge the object of his affection to a drinking contest.

The downside was that Grog was in no position to talk to her when out of his element. Instead, Scanlan was sent as a singing telegram to the daughter of the blacksmith.

Scanlan entered the smith's shop, its walls and shelves filled to the brim with well-grafted weapons and armor. His eyes first take notice of a towering dragonborn working at the forge.

"Um, hey there," he said awkwardly.

The draconic male stepped away from his tools and greeted him saying, "good day, my small friend. How can I help ye today?"

"I come on behalf of a lovestruck goliath."

"Well you may tell them I'm flattered but I'm already married."

"Well actually his affections are directed to your daughter."

"(y/n)? How unforeseen. Very well. (y/n)!"

(y/n) enters the shop from the back door dressed in full artificer's regalia. "What is it, dad?"

"This gnome apparently has a message for you from a friend."

(y/n) looked curiously as Scanlan retrieved his lute.

♫ my dear beauty with the golden scales,

meet me tonight for a round of ale

I've seen the might of your drinking skills

let's see who has the greater will ♫

(y/n) was stunned. Never had she received a challenge in song form and certainly not one with romantic undertones.

With an intrigued chuckle she says, "tell your friend that I happily accept his challenge."

"Great," Scanlan said with a grin, "thank you. I'll be on my way now."

Scanlan exited the shop just as (y/n)'s mother entered.

"What was all that now?" she asked.

"Our daughter has a date," the father answered.

--

Later in the evening, everyone gathered at the tavern to witness the challenge. Grog was sitting at the bar, feeling anxious. Pike gave her friend some words of encouragement. In that moment, Grog decided he needed a starter. He ordered himself a pint, filling his body with liquid courage. The townsfolk announced (y/n)'s arrival at the tavern.

"Alright," she said with confidence, "who among you has challenged me?"

Swallowing down his starter, Grog stood up and said awkwardly, "uh, that'd be me."

"Oh yes, I remember you from the night before. I'm flattered by your rather unorthodox message."

Grog felt a warmth in his face that for once in his life didn't come from booze.

"I see you've already given yourself a head start," (y/n) commented, noticing the large mug in her challenger's hand. Grog embarrassingly tosses aside his mug (nearly clocking some poor soul in the face) before moving to one of the large tables. (y/n) took her seat across from him as the barkeep came over.

"House rules," they began, "first to puke or pass out loses."

"Good luck," (y/n) says.

The barkeep brings over the first round and the battle of the booze begins. The two appear equally matched as stacks of empty mugs begin to pile up. (y/n) seems to move at a slightly faster pace. A half-hour passes by as (y/n) takes the time to compliment Grog.

"I must say," the gold scaled girl says, "I don't think I've had anyone keep up with me. Color me impressed."

Grog tries to keep his composure at her words, focusing on his drinking.

Tensions rose at the top of the hour, the locals cheering for (y/n) while Vox Machina (specifically Pike and Scanlan) calling out to Grog.

"This goes on much longer and tavern will be completely cleaned out," Percy commented.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Vex added.

"Indeed."

The tavern was in fact on their last barrel. (y/n) winced slightly while promising to heavily compensate for the amount of ale she and Grog had been running through. She looks to her opponent who has been double fisting for the past few rounds. With a slip of the hand, (y/n) toppled over, knocking her head on the table.

There was a long silence as all gazed in awe. The townsfolk were in shock as their long time champion lay buzzed out on the floor.

"Fuck yeah!" Scanlan hollered, breaking the silence.

"Woo, Grog!" Pike shouted out. They rushed to their victorious friends.

Grog himself was almost in disbelief. He didn't feel like he had to win the challenge. To him, he had already won back when (y/n) had spoken her words of admiration. On the subject of (y/n), she slowly came to, groaning in pain.

"Pike," Grog gestured to his friend. The cleric understood what he was trying to communicate.

Pike wanders over to the inebriated dragonborn and uses her magic to heal her.

(y/n) came to asking, "What happened?"

"You...you lost," one of the bystanders answered, still shocked.

"Lost?" she turned to Grog who gave an awkward wave. She chuckled and said walked over to him. "I seem to have been bested. I congratulate you Mr..."

"Uh Grog. Grog Strongjaw."

"Grog; another word for ale. I like it."

The smitten giant responded with a goofy smile, making (y/n) giggle.

"Damn," she said looking at the time, "we've been here a while. Guess I'll see ya around." (y/n) took her leave, smiling back at the tavern.

--

After spending two nights in town, Vox Machina was ready to press on. They were about to exit when they heard a familiar voice behind them.

"Wait!" The group looked to see (y/n) rushing towards them. She had an unknown object tucked under her arm. Grog's face flushed as she approached them. "I just talked to the innkeeper," she said, "He told me that you were on your way out and that you paid for ale."

"A gentleman must be the one to pay the bill," Percy stated.

She nodded to the gunslinger and turned to Grog, presenting the object him. A gauntlet to be worn on the wrist, forged with obsidian.

"To yesterday's champion," she spoke, "I've been saving it for two-and-a-half years, waiting to gift it to whoever could out drink me."

Grog accepted the gift with awe-stricken eyes.

"It might be a bit small on you but I'm sure you can have it resized."

Grog snatched the bag of holding from Vax and quickly tucked the piece of armor inside.

"One more thing..." (y/n) gestured for him to lean down at which point she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Until we meet again."

(y/n) trekked back into town as Scanlan hollered, "Alright Grog!" The goliath didn't answer.

"Grog?" Pike spoke. The group looked to see that Grog's eyes were glazed over and he had a slight smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Oh great," Percy spoke, "she stole his heart and his brain."

"What was left of it anyways," Vex added.

It took the whole of Vox Machina to pull Grog along as the band of adventurers continued onward.

[the-french-belphegor]

I finished another fic for the @critter-genfic-events's bingo card! "Beach day", this time. I swear I did mean it to be funny and only funny, but then it was also Vox Machina post-campaign, so "Missing someone" ended up being A Thing. Plus "Found family" because that's unavoidable when Grog and his gnomes are concerned 💜

I'll be posting this on AO3 shortly here if you prefer to read on AO3!

—

Grog wiggles sand between his toes and squints at the Marquet sun shining through a passing cloud.

“Oh man,” he hears Scanlan sigh from the chaise lounge thing next to him, “this is the life.”

Meh, Grog thinks, just a little.

Sure, it’s a nice day out, and it’s great that they finally got everyone for a little vacation weekend in the Bay of Gifts – even Keyleth, who’s very busy being leaderly, and even Vex and Percy, who have their hands full with Whitestone but mostly with little Vesper. (Grog still calls her ‘Whisper’, because it became A Thing, and to be fair she’s a fairly quiet kid, in his meagre experience.) Now the girl is napping with her dad under the shade of the parasol after burying Grog into the sand (with helpful pointers from her mum, her uncle Grog and her auntie Keyleth) and playing in the shallows with her auntie Pike and her uncle Scanlan. That’s a lot of things to do, and the little mite is all tuckered out. So’s mostly everyone, it seems, except for Trinket, who is having fun chasing seagulls in the distance.

And Grog is slowly but surely getting bored.

Of course, that’s the moment his insides choose to give a twinge at the lack of Vax shenanigans. One of the many things Grog misses about the guy is that you’d never get bored when he was around. Sometimes not getting bored meant getting half your beard shaved off or various belongings stolen for a prank, but… well.

Pike, Wilhand and Scanlan all say that it’s normal to still be sad about Vax even now. Privately, Grog wonders if it’s stupid to miss some of the truly infuriating things Vax did, like the beard thing. He has a feeling the answer would be “no”, but there’s no way in hell he’ll ask.

“Hey Pike!” he calls out, mostly to distract himself from the oncoming boredom but also from being sad on what’s supposed to be a fun day out. “Wanna go fight the sea?”

Pike is in the process of gathering Vesper’s discarded beach toys and eyeing Percy – who is currently fast asleep near his daughter – with Vesper’s shovel in her hand and a gleam in her eye. Just as Grog is starting to think pranking Percy might be a good distraction as well, she turns to him and grins.

“Sure, buddies. How d’you wanna do that?”

“I was thinkin’ I could walk into the waves and just, like, not budge. Or put you on my shoulder and then see how far we can go till you get splashed.”

“Okay, yeah, that sounds nice,” she says, nodding. “Scanlan? Wanna come with?”

“Eh,” says Scanlan from under the hat covering his face, “I had my share of the ocean earlier. Might work on my tan for a little bit.”

“Come on,” says Grog, because the first time they took a beach holiday Scanlan wasn’t there and their second trip to Dalen’s Closet was, well, A Lot – way too much to just let loose and have fun afterwards, “I have two shoulders. That’s one for Pike, and one for you. It’s huh. Balance.”

(He’s really proud to be able to say a number and not hesitate even a bit. Long sentences with lots of letters still elude him, but he’s starting to know numbers well.)

One of Scanlan’s eyes peeks out from under the hat, along with a smile.

“Aw, big guy. Okay, for balance then, but on one condition.”

“What’s that?” asks Pike with something sharp in her grin, like she really wants to laugh but she’s saving that for a better moment.

“My hair stays dry.”

“That’s it?” says Grog, eyebrows raised. He was expecting something a lot less simple.

“Yeah, that’s it.”

That sounds pretty fair, so Grog agrees.

So maybe walking into the surf isn’t quite fighting an entire ocean, but the three of them manage to make it fun, just like Grog thought they would. Pike stands on his left shoulder, hanging on to his head, and shouts at every wave just as loud as he does; meanwhile, Scanlan sits on his right shoulder, beating a rhythm on his chest with his toes and humming a vaguely familiar tune. There may be something magical at work there, because Grog is feeling a tingling warmth along his spine and into his ribcage, like they’re in the middle of a battle and Scanlan is singing to give him inspiration. That’s nice of him to do that. Maybe it’ll give Grog and Pike an edge.

(Even wearing no armour at all and with waves rolling up to his chest, Grog always feels just a little invincible with those two on his shoulders.)

“You know what, Grog?” says Pike after a while, settling down on his shoulder and grinning at him, her cheeks red and her chest heaving. “That was really fun. I think we could all do with some screaming at the ocean once in a while.”

“Seconded,” says Scanlan, who didn’t do any shouting and mostly either chilled with his eyes closed or looked at Pike like he does sometimes, all soft eyes and slight smile.

Pike gets the same sort of look every now and then. It’s this kind of little details that tells Grog that one of these days the guest bedroom in Wilhand’s attic might become a real guest bedroom again (that and the fact that dawn often finds Pike and Scanlan tiptoeing out of each other’s room). As long as they keep most of the lovey dovey stuff out of sight Grog is fine with it.

“Well, I’m smart like that,” says Grog with a grin, like a joke where only he knows the punchline. Which is kinda the case, actually, if the joke is The little bits are dating and Grog did notice. “I got lots of good ideas.”

Scanlan leans his back against Grog’s head and nods.

“You sure do, buddy. And you guys definitely win in my book. Eat your heart out, ocean!”

“Hey guys!” They all turn – which means the gnomes have to turn a second time because they’re facing the wrong way now – to the beach, where Vex is standing with her hands cupped around her mouth. “Keyleth says there might be some jellyfish in the water by now, have you seen any yet?”

“Some what?” asks Grog, and promptly steps on something squishy.

It’s like walking into a bramble bush. The sole of his foot is fine, but tendrils sneak up his ankle and fire up a prickling pain that instantly runs up his whole leg. The surprise, more than the actual sting, makes him bark a shout and instinctively jump back, but this is uncomfortable as hell.

His shoulders suddenly feel somewhat lighter. Oh shit, he thinks with a flash of fear, old habits taking over, Scanlan should float but Pike’s in heavy armour, she’ll go straight down—

But they’re on vacation, not adventuring – no weapons, no plate armour, just sun hats and bathing suits. When he whirls around he spots Pike easily treading water not far from his elbow. The waves rolling in towards the beach make her go up and down, but she’s completely unfazed.

“You okay, Grog?” she asks, looking a little startled, and Grog isn’t even sure if that’s from being thrown off her perch or on his account.

“Sure,” says Grog, not that sure. “Except, uh, question. Can people die from jellyfish?”

“Well,” says Pike reasonably, “that depends on the jellyfish. I saw some really big ones on the Broken Howl, like big big. But the ones around here just burn a little.” Then her eyes zero in on something ahead of her and her nose crunches. “Yikes. Yeah, you can tell Vex Keyleth was right, look.”

The first and last time Grog saw a jellyfish, it was in Vesrah. Two kids were poking a small blob with a stick until their father told them to stop. What’s floating close to the surface five feet from them is still a blob, but it’s got long thin tentacly things that look like a bunch of transparent seaweed. They’re trailing underneath like it doesn’t know what to do with them. It’s creepy, and it’s weird to think these are why his ankle and calf are stinging like he kicked through embers without a boot on.

Grog scoops Pike up, holds her up out of the water, and makes his way to the beach, trusting Scanlan to meet them there.

When he’s close enough to talk without shouting, he tells Vex, who’s been watching them curiously, “Yeah, maybe don’t let lil’ Whisper into the water just now. There’s at least a couple of the suckers out there. I even got bit, look.”

“Stung, Grog,” Pike corrects, hanging on tight to his arm to avoid toppling over when he lifts his foot. Oops. “Jellyfish don’t bite.”

Vex throws him a look, complicated and quick – worried-sharp-relieved – then grins.

“You know, I’ve heard you can treat a jellyfish burn by having someone pee on it. Not that I’m volunteering, but perhaps if you ask—”

It’s the way she says it. Something flashes in Grog’s mind, like he’s realised something isn’t right but his brain is taking a while to catch up on what, exactly. (It happens.) It’s not that it’s wrong for her to say that – although in the old days Grog wouldn’t have put it past Vax to bring it up instead – so much as she shouldn’t have been the first to say it.

Fortunately, Pike’s brain works much better and faster than his. Her eyes go wide real quick and she exclaims, “Wait – where’s Scanlan?”

A small sliver of cold creeps its way up Grog’s spine. Oh. Shit.

“Didn’t he swim to shore?”

“He didn’t,” says Vex, tense and sharp once more, but worse, like she used to just before a fight. “I would’ve seen him.”

“Well, he has to be somewhere, he can’t just – oh gods no.”

Pike’s voice goes sideways on the last word like someone tripping and falling down a flight of stairs. Grog looks into the same direction and goes cold all over.

There is a shape bobbing along in the water a little ways behind the waves crashing onto the beach.

Grog runs.

He does kind of end up fighting the sea for real today after all.

When he reaches Scanlan, what feels like the next second but also so much time later, the gnome is floating belly down just under the surface of the water. His arms and legs drift a little in the current, like the jellyfish’s tentacle things did. It looks so much creepier. But not as creepy as the way Scanlan lies completely still when Grog picks him up, arms and legs at odd angles like his limbs and joints are missing strings. Both his eyelids and his lips are a little bit blue.

At least there’s no blood. It would bring back real bad memories if there was blood. Well, it does, because this is not the first time Grog’s carried his second best little buddy cold and lifeless like that, but the absence of blood makes it a bit easier to push those memories away.

Pike takes charge as Grog limps out of the water, white seafoam frothing around his calves. Her face is nearly as pale.

“Lay him down,” she says, her voice steel under the usual warmth, and Grog does. He watches her press her ear to Scanlan’s chest, tip his head back, open his mouth, and blow into it. And look, Grog usually doesn’t like it much when they start getting kissy and too wrapped up in each other, but it’s the last thing he’d mind right now. This is the worst kiss he’s ever seen. He’s not even sure it counts as one.

Pike lays her hands flat on Scanlan’s chest and her arms find a steady rhythm – “…three four five six come on eight nine ten—” and Grog winces when he hears something crack. Pike with her gauntlets and her mace and the Blessing of the Everlight is strong, second only to Grog in strength in Vox Machina, but even without she’s a force to be reckoned with. Scanlan’s going to feel that when he wakes up. If he wakes up.

They can’t lose somebody else that’s theirs. They can’t.

Sometimes people go and you never get them back, Grog remembers Kerrek say to Keyleth once, that time Scanlan was dead and Grog spent a very complicated few hours grappling with the fact that all those powerful spellcasters couldn’t bring him back right now. Kerrek had looked surprised way before that when Grog had told him that when someone died, they just brought them back. Like that was usually not the way of things. Like sometimes even people you knew and loved a whole lot just died, and that was it, no Revivify spell, no resurrection.

Grog hadn’t really understood that before Vax died and then became feathers.

If Scanlan dies now, for real, is he going to become feathers, too?

Just as the terror starts to give way into rage – that’s always been Grog’s default way of handling things like that, mostly – Scanlan’s body gives a lurch and he upchucks more liquid than Grog’s ever seen him down in one go in all their years of tavern hopping.

The next second he hears Keyleth yell, “Turn him on his side!”

She’s motioning the water out of Scanlan’s lungs with her hands even as she’s full-on running towards them, spraying sand where her feet hit the beach. In the distance, Vex talks urgently to Percy sitting up next to Vesper before following her, almost as fast.

By the time she’s standing nearby, Keyleth is drawing out the last of the water and replacing it with air with complex arm gestures, long fingers flexing fluidly. The second she’s done, Pike flips Scanlan on his back again and smacks her hands flat on his chest with a flash of intense light that makes Grog see bright spots for a while. A heartbeat later, Scanlan is coughing and retching as if it would make more sense for his insides to be outside. Between dry heaves he takes big gulps of air that sound painful.

But at least he’s breathing.

Grog’s knees suddenly feel like jellyfish tentacles. Sea salt burns in his eyes, and wiping them doesn’t really help. He spares one furious thought towards the ocean – I still won, motherfucker, you don’t get to keep him, just a fleeting remnant of rage – before sitting down on the sand a lot more abruptly than he means to.

From there he catches some soft whispers, some in Gnomish he doesn’t understand, some in Common he does – “It’s okay, you’re okay”, “Slow down, deeper breaths”, and “I know, sorry about your ribs, babe, hold on a sec” – as well as the faint glow from Pike’s fingers as she runs her hand gently along Scanlan’s back. Scanlan’s breaths do come easier after that. (So do Grog’s, incidentally.) He still looks a wreck, though, his soaked curls all over the place, ashen-faced under his tan and half covered in a fine layer of sand. So much for keeping his hair dry. Oops.

“Are you gonna be okay?” asks Keyleth, her voice trembling just a little.

“What the hell happened?” Vex’s voice sounds clipped and almost angry, so sharp it could cut through diamonds but also kinda like it could break if she wasn’t careful. It only does that when things get bad.

Scanlan blinks up at her; he looks at Pike, at Keyleth, and at Grog, and blinks again.

“Good… question?”

It’s because of the jellyfish, Grog realises, and only notices he’s said that aloud when everyone turns their eyes to him. He concentrates hard on not voicing the niggling doubt that it’s his fault more than the jellyfish’s. The squish and the burn might have startled him, but letting both gnomes fall was on him alone. And that… that sucks. A lot.

Pike helps Scanlan sit up, one hand in his and the other still on his back.

“We were just messing around. Grog stepped on a jellyfish – by the way, you okay, buddy?”

“Yeah,” says Grog, even though his ankle still burns a lot, kinda, because he’s – they’ve all – gone through way worse during battles. Fortunately they’re not battling anyone, so Pike still has plenty of magic, and he almost immediately feels the familiar warmth of a Heal spell down to his toes. The next second the red welts on his skin are gone. “Thanks, Pike. And, uh… sorry for getting your hair wet, Scanlan.”

“That’s… a way of putting it, I guess,” mutters Vex.

Scanlan stops brushing wet sand off his face, still looking a little dazed. He looks up (and up, and up) at Grog and waves off the apology with a slightly shaking hand.

“Eh, it’s fine. I probably should’ve told you I can’t swim in the first place.”

Everyone stares at him in a stunned silence that Keyleth finally breaks.

“Wait,” she exclaims, “you can’t swim?”

Scanlan gives half a shrug. “Just never learned, I guess. And I learned Polymorph years ago, so I can just turn into something that swims better than I ever would anyway.”

That does nothing to placate Keyleth, whose voice climbs straight up.

“But – how did we not know that?!”

“It never came up!” protests Scanlan, eyes wide, almost defensive.

“How the hell did that never come up?”

“Guys.” Pike’s voice is clear and sharp; it’s not brittle like Vex’s was, but it’s a fine edge that slices easily through the rising tension before it turns back into her usual soothing tones. “Thank you,” she says to the two women. She opens her mouth, closes it again, and finally just says, “You know. Just… thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Vex says in her normal voice, but her face is pretty pale for all that she just ran a bunch of yards to go get Keyleth. “And Scanlan?”

Grog almost expects him to look up and go “Oi?” with a small smile that could mean pretty much anything. But he just looks up at Vex and doesn’t smile. His eyebrows go up a bit.

“A soon as we can find a body of water that doesn’t have waves in it –”

“Or jellyfish,” adds Grog, whose takeaway of the misadventure is that those things are more dangerous than ocean waves. One corner of Vex’s mouth twitches.

“– or jellyfish, we are teaching you how to swim, darling. And that is non-negotiable.”

Scanlan’s face is still a bit white, his voice still a bit raw when he nods and says, “Understood.”

“I mean it. I hope you can handle a crash course.”

“Well,” says Scanlan, sounding a little more normal, “you know what they say about old dogs and new tricks, but I—” Vex’s eyes glint, “—yep, okay, swimming lesson, no prob.”

Vex flashes a satisfied smirk, but it only stays up for a second. The next moment she’s hugging Scanlan, and it’s over just as quickly before she mutters, “I’d better go and inform Percy that nobody died, thank the gods…”

And it’s like Grog can hear the ‘nobody else’ hidden in that sentence, clear as day.

After she leaves, Scanlan looks at Keyleth with one of those smiles that mean he’s being serious.

“Thanks, Kiki. You know, you’re pretty awesome.”

Keyleth looks less spooked now. She gives a short snort of a laugh and unfolds her long lean body from where she’s sitting on the sand.

“Yeah, well. I spent a long time learning these spells, so. I’m glad you’re okay, Scanlan,” she adds in a softer voice before following Vex.

It’s when her back is turned and she’s a few feet away that Pike – who’s been so still Grog almost expected her to start vibrating – grabs Scanlan by the shoulders and then throws her arms around him. Doesn’t kiss him, just goes straight for a tackling hug that seems to drive the air from his lungs (again).

“I thought you’d Dimension Doored to the beach,” Grog hears her say in his hair, a little muffled, because after a second of surprise Scanlan is hugging back, just as tight. “I thought you’d swum back. You should’ve said you couldn’t, you… I should’ve checked… Holy shit, Scanlan. That was so fucking dumb.”

But she’s trembling a little as she says this, so maybe it’s not really dumb to be scared still, even though everything is okay now.

…Well, kind of okay. No matter what happens, Vax will stay dead. Which means Vex, and Keyleth, and Scanlan, and Pike, and Percy, and Tary won’t really be okay okay for a long time. They’ll still have those moments where they go quiet and still and kind of fragile, like they’re made of glass you can’t quite see through. Like Grog, when his memory betrays him and he thinks I gotta show this to Vax, or Vax will go nuts when he hears that – and then he remembers that Vax is gone and they’ll never get him back.

Maybe that’s part of why Pike is holding Scanlan so tight, and why Scanlan is murmuring to her in Gnomish looking like he just smacked his head into a wall.

And since there’s no kissing involved, just ‘holy crap you’re alive I love you you’re alive’ hugging, Grog picks up his gnomes for some hugging of his own.

The thing is… well. It’s like this. It’s Wilhand and Grog and Pike and Scanlan, living in Wilhand’s house. It’s Grog and Scanlan and Pike, going to taverns and sometimes – less often than they used to, but still sometimes – going home so smashed they can’t walk straight. It’s Pike and Grog and Scanlan going to Vasselheim via teleportation circles; Grog and Scanlan check in at the Slayer’s Take headquarters while Pike drops by the Temple of Sarenrae first, Pike and Grog fight at the Crucible while Scanlan sneaks them some inspiration from the stands, and Grog and Pike and sometimes Scanlan take a contract from the Take to kill some big beast that doesn’t hold a candle to a dragon or a god but is still fun to fight.

The thing is… Grog knows gnomes live a long time. The particulars are unclear and not really interesting to be honest. He just knows that one day, he’ll be too old to fight anything – which sucks, so he hopes it won’t last a long time – and he’ll die for good, and Pike and Scanlan will still be young compared to him. That’s not scary in itself. Grog Strongjaw has never been afraid of dying (especially not since the two halves of Kevdak’s corpse hit the cobblestones of the Westruun town square). But Grog Strongjaw has learned to fear death like he used to before he learned about resurrection spells, whether it comes from the fingertips of a snarling god or the whisper of raven wings. Revivify doesn’t always work, and it gets harder if you died and got brought back more than once. And then sometimes they’re just. Gone. (They could have lost Vex for good as well at the not-wedding a couple of years ago. Sometimes Grog looks at her playing with Vesper, or slumped against Percy with her head on his shoulder, and the thought goes through his brain and leave ice in its wake for a while.)

The thing is… They’re not always out of harm’s way, but they are safe now.

They killed dragons. They thwarted a god. They lost family. They’re entitled to safe, now, right?

None of them are allowed to die before Grog. Not for real. That would just be unfair.

(Especially because of a stupid misstep and a stupid jellyfish.)

So yeah. The gnomes hug each other, and Grog hugs his gnomes.

“Hey, Scanlan,” he says when the two break apart – slightly – and make themselves comfortable against his chest without even thinking about it, out of habit.

“Yeah?”

“Are you mad we didn’t know you can’t swim?”

Something complicated flashes across Scanlan’s face for a second, but then he shakes his head.

“I’d be mad if I’d told you and you’d forgotten,” he says, and Grog believes him.

“I wouldn’t forget a thing like that.”

“I know, bud.”

“We’re gonna teach you, anyway,” Pike points out as the three of them make their way up the beach towards the others, the towels and the parasols. “And no Polymorph allowed. You’re not cheating your way out of this one.”

“That’s not cheating, that’s just… creative thinking! Swimming is boring – why would I want to swim when I can turn into a porpoise instead?”

“Why didn’t you do that earlier, then, instead of giving us all a heart attack?”

“I was taken by surprise, obviously!”

“Wait,” says Grog, “how the hell do you turn into a purpose?”

“P-o-r-p-o-i-s-e, buddies. It’s an animal. Kinda looks like a dolphin.”

“Dolphins are usually purposeful, so that tracks.”

“You’re not helping, Scanlan.”

“Yeah, you’re not helping me cultivate my litter-a-see, Scanlan.”

Grog isn’t sure (yet) how to spell ‘literacy’ and he mostly means it as a joke anyway, but Scanlan’s whole face lights up with delight, so maybe it means he stuck the landing.

Of course this is where Vesper’s little voice pipes up to ask what ‘literacy’ means, and what’s a porpoise, and then what does a jellyfish look like, because she’s a curious little one and she loves to know things and figure things out. Scanlan spins a tale on the spot for her that only looks like what actually happened if you tilt your head and squint really hard; at some point a giant whale is involved and Pike, Vex and Keyleth swing down from an airship to save the day. Percy’s eyebrows shoot up from behind his glasses at that, Keyleth laughs, and Vex grins and takes a mock bow before returning to scratch the spot behind Trinket’s ear.

Vesper listens to Scanlan with increasing awareness that this is A Story – firmly in the land of make-believe, where no one dies, nobody is ever in real danger, and all’s well that always ends well – and gives dramatic gasps and laughs at the right places.

Pike plops Scanlan’s hat on her head and settles behind him to comb the sand and the knots out of his hair with her fingers as he talks. Sometimes she smiles the same soft little smile Scanlan had earlier, while she and Grog were screaming at the ocean.

And Grog?

Grog settles on the ground, wiggling sand between his toes, and watches his family being alive.

—

Raise your hand if you love Grog Strongjaw and his gnomes 🥰

Me a couple of months ago seeing this post:

"Ooh, that's great! Great potential for comedy!" So I jotted down these lines -

“Wait, you can’t swim!? How did we not know that?” “It never came up!” “How the hell did it never come up??

- and then a couple of months later came up with the fic above 😅

Hope you liked!

[rachel-of-autumnbow]

Day 10 of @fanovember: Online Dating

Vax is surprising his online girlfriend by watching her performance (and her) for the first time irl.

Vaxleth. Fucking cute i almost died writing this shit. Soft Vax. Feat Korring being the best dad. Probably grammar mistakes. Enjoy.

10. Online Dating

Vax put his phone back in his inside pocket and straightened the jacket lapels for the millionth time. He hated formal robes in general, but suits were a special kind of hatred for him. He had a comfortable set of clothes back in the motorbike chest. “Only a couple of hours,” he thought. “Then back to moving freely.” He waited until the theater doors opened and tried to sneak inside. It would have been easy, if it wasn’t for the flowers he was holding.

Kiki: im so nervous i think im gonna puke 🤮

Vax: itll be fine, its not the first time you do this

Kiki: it’s not the same today, my dad came

Vax: im sure he’ll be very proud of you

Kiki: i hope i don’t mess this up

Vax: you wont you’re a great actress

Kiki: you never saw me on stage

Kiki: or ever

Vax: yet

Kiki: anyway, i should get ready

Vax: go break a leg

Kiki: thanks babe 💚

“Hey, you, I will need your ticket, please.”

“Oh, sorry.” Vax pretended to look for his entrance ticket he didn’t have in his pockets. “I must have left it at home.”

“Sorry, sir, no entrance, no show.”

Vax nodded. “Alright, at least could you make sure to give this to Keyleth by the end of the play? Please.”

The doorman sighed. “Fine, but get out.” Vax turned around and pouted as he examined the hall for a different way to get in.

“Excuse me, young man.”

Vax looked at the man behind him, “yes, sir, I was about to leave…”

“Oh, no, it’s not that. I couldn’t help but hear you’re an admirer of my daughter?”

Vax blinked. His mind quickly showed him the pictures he had seen him in. Pictures that Keyleth had sent him or posted. “Yes, that can be said.” The man smiled in the same way Keyleth did in their facetimes. ‘I can’t believe I’ve met my girlfriend’s father in real life before even seeing her’.

“May I know your name?”

“Vax’ildan, sir.” The man stared at him for a second as they shook hands and he ended up laughing.

“Oh, so you’re that Vax! It’s a pleasure to meet you. Keyleth talks a lot about you, and now I can see why.” Vax cleared his throat and felt a hand on his shoulder. “Does she know you’re here?”

“No, sir. I had a surprise planned.”

“And you left your ticket at home.”

“Actually… The gas and the flowers took all my savings. I was going to, well…”

“Sneak in?” Vax sighed and nodded. He never felt sorry or ashamed of the things he had to do due to his lack of money, but at that moment, he would rather Kiki’s dad not know any of it. “Then consider this your lucky day, come with me.”

“Sir?” The man didn’t say anything, just went to the doorman and gave him a ticket, pointing at Vax. The guy nodded and let them both in with a gesture. Vax followed Keyleth’s father through a corridor, then up a bunch of stairs and a door that led to a box, right in front of the stage. Probably the best seats in the theater.

The man invited him to sit in one of the front seats. “I always get two tickets for Keyleth’s performances, just in case me and my wife happen to be in town to come. I could make it this time, but she didn’t.”

“Thank you, sir.” Vax sat by his side. He had never been in a box before. He could see people under him moving like a sea of heads, slowly finding their place.

Keyleth’s father, Korrin, as it happened to be his name, talked to him while they waited for the play to start. They talked about their families, friends, and how he had met Keyleth. His pocket buzzed.

Kiki: i thought they were kidding about the sold out but they werent!

“Is that her?” Korrin asked.

Vax nodded. “Yes, she’s quite anxious about today.” He was tempted to say something like ‘yeah, i can see that’, but  he didn’t want to spoil the surprise.

In that moment, the lights faded as the off voice started saying the welcoming. The play was fun, all of the actors were indeed amazing. Vax knew some of them, he had made friends with Keyleth’s circle during their relationship. He was aware, although he didn’t really care, of how dumb faced he looked when Keyleth made her first appearance.

Vax: that means there are so many people that want to see your brilliance.

Kiki: most of these are Scanlan admirers.

Vax: i refuse to believe none of them came for you

Vax: its mathematically impossible

Kiki: i thought you hated math

Vax: thats not the point

Kiki: i know 😁

Kiki: i wish you were here 😞

Vax: be careful what you wish for, it could come true

He had seen her in pictures, he had heard her in voice notes and calls, but none of that did justice to her. He imagined himself jumping out that box, running to the stage and kissing her right that moment, but he didn’t want to mess the show. He stood there, mouth half open and heart pining and longing.

Vax didn’t part eyes from the stage until the end, when the doorman entered the scene during the final bows with his bouquet. He handed it to Keyleth, who read the note and started scanning the crowd. Vax stood up and thanked Korrin for everything before heading out.

He waited in the hall for quite some time, he saw everyone go out and half an hour later, even Korrin waved at him when he was heading out. “I didn’t tell her a word. She’ll be out soon.”

Vax smiled, although he has a bundle of nerves. “Thanks.”

Ten more minutes passed and he heard steps in the hall. "Vax?" He turned around and he felt his heart splutter.

"Hey, Kiki." He could only catch her and spin around in a hug. Her hair smelled like freshly cut grass and her laughter was probably the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.

"I can't believe you're here." Keyleth pulled away to look at him.

Vax put a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I told you to be careful what you wish for."

Keyleth's smile became even brighter. "Did you watch the show too?"

Vax stroked her face, unable to believe he was actually doing what he had been dreaming of for so long. "Yeah, you're amazing, you know?"

"I-I mean… you came all the way to see me."

"Yeah… I also came to do something else."

"Really? Wha—"

Vax didn't hold the kiss anymore.

[vexing-imogen]

the way I see it, there are four possible paths for Liliana to take from here:

Return to Ludinus and the Weave Mind with her tail between her legs, accept whatever punishment is in store for helping Bell's Hells escape, become the Vessel, end the world, disappoint her daughter, etc etc (if the, uh...conversation? confrontation? with the Hells goes badly enough, I could see this happening, but I also feel like Matt is trying to honor that 31 Persuasion)

Return to Ludinus and the Weave Mind, but as a double agent, try to dismantle things from the inside. possible, but very risky to attempt around a telepathic hive mind that she is connected to. also runs the risk of her falling back into/staying in the mindset that the Vanguard's path is the only path

Return to Exandria and find somewhere secluded to hide away for the rest of her days. cowardly, but, as Imogen said, maybe it's her turn to run

Return to Exandria and face the music with the world leaders/war council. high risk of Keyleth doing a 9th level Blight on sight, however, between Imogen and Orym, they might be able to convince them to let her at least live long enough to disclose all of Ludi's plans (honestly, not optimistic about this one. Keyleth's rage is a fearsome thing. though, with a backdoor to the moon, they could certainly go about discussing how to unorbify Vax, and Liliana might know how to reverse the orbing, since she cast the spell in the first place)

[ravendruid]

I promise.

Spoilers for Campaign 3, Episode 65. My brain wouldn't shup up about the idea of Keyleth asking Bells Hells to save Vax from the orb, so I wrote this.

It hasn’t been that long since Orym left Zephrah for the last time, maybe a few months before he joined Bells Hells. Most things look the same, but there is a new feeling of unease and uncertainty in town. People whisper and look in the direction of the odd group, and a few children stop in awe, but no one approaches them. It’s not that Orym is unknown in town. It’s just that when once he was received with smiles and thanks for his efforts and fighting alongside the Blades to protect them and their leader, now he is regarded with sorrow and, by a small group of guards that patrol, some semblance of anger. 

The halfling’s step falters when the duo standing guard outside the Tempest’s house block the group’s entrance. He says his name, reminds them of his position and gives additional information on why he must seek an audience with her, but the guards don’t budge.

“You may enter, but they need to stay out,” One of them says.

Orym looks back at his friends. They aren’t known in Zephrah and their looks alone are enough to cause unease and distrust, either because of the old gnome with a feral look in his eyes; the faun lady whose gaze twinkles at dangling earrings and semi-hidden trinkets; the gold and green rock man with purple crystal hair, not to mention whatever the fuck is happening on his head; the Aeormaton, which by itself is already a rare sight; the half-dead woman that carries a wooden bird-house as a backpack—thank the gods Paté isn’t in view; or even Imogen, who would pass as the most common of them all, but who now has purple lightning spreading from her arms to her legs (and her partially covered chest). No. Orym understands. He gives his friends an apologetic look and nods at the guards who allow him inside. 

Not many people are allowed to visit the Tempest’s personal house. An honor usually reserved for the close-knit members of town, friends and family. Orym never dwelled on what it would look like inside, but as he steps in, he takes the cozy atmosphere, the smell of a variety of plants, herbs and soil, the books strewn about, the trinkets from all her travels, and… are those children’s toys? The house itself is not too large. The kitchen and living room are one single unit, and two doors lead to what Orym assumes to be two bedrooms. Sitting on a plush couch is an older man with long grey hair and deep green eyes that he recognizes as the Tempest’s father, Korrin. Orym bows, muttering a greeting to the man, who quickly stands as he notices the halfling. Korrin waves his hand with a chuckle, dismissing the formalities. 

“I—How is she?”

Korrin’s grimace at the question makes his stomach turn. “She’s—” Korrin sighs, rubbing his face with one hand. A small tear pools in the corner of his eye. “—stubborn. She won’t let the healers do their work. She’s alive, but it’s not a pretty sight,” he warns and Orym nods. The image of Otohan slashing and cutting through the Tempest’s prone body assails him, and he can’t help but wonder if the man standing in front of him knows the entire story of what happened in Marquet.

“May I talk to her? I have some information I would like to discuss with the Tempest, but if she isn’t fully recovered, I’ll—”

Orym doesn’t finish the sentence. One of the wooden doors suddenly opens to reveal a tall woman leaning on a staff. Orym drops to his knees with a silent sob. Keyleth, the woman he swore to protect with his life, is so small in her hunched form, pale with deep red gashes all over her arms, chest, and face. Korrin was right. It isn’t a pretty sight.

“Tempest,” His eyes water at the sight. 

“Orym,” Her voice is weaker and quieter, with so much fear and insecurity.

“Keyleth, dear,” Korrin walks over and wraps an arm around his daughter. She doesn’t shoo him away. Quite the opposite, she leans into him, supporting her weight on the man. 

“I heard you say you have information,” Her voice wavers. Orym nods, finally finding the strength to rise to his feet. 

“I do, Tempest. A lot has happened. My friends…” He turns his head back to the front door. Keyleth mutters something to Korrin that Orym can’t decipher, and the man helps her sit on a soft dark green armchair, fluffing some pillows behind her back and covering her slashed legs with a blanket. He then crosses the room, opening the front door to mutter a few words with the guards, and a few moments later, the odd group fills the small room. 

“I’m sorry I’m—” Keyleth gestures vaguely to herself before waving to the different seatings around the room. “Please, find yourselves somewhere to sit. Would you all like some tea?”

One by one, Bells Hells finds somewhere to sit. Imogen and Laudna press against each other on the sofa, leaving room for Orym to sit directly in sight of the red-haired woman; Chetney and Ashton find a dining chair each and turn it to face the group while Fearne opts to sit on the floor with FCG standing next to her. Somewhere in the kitchen behind them, Korrin busies himself filling a kettle and bringing down a set of mugs from a high cabinet.

“So,” Keyleth smiles gently, taking in the odd faces with a twinkle in her eye. Bells Hells look different from the last time she had the chance to actually talk to them when she brought the group to Whitestone—even if it had been in a rush. As her eyes pass over their faces, her breath falters when she lands on Laudna, the reason for such a rushed trip. Keyleth heard about the woman’s story and how their lives had been connected. She can’t help but feel the guilt build up inside her again. If it hadn’t been for Vox Machina, Laudna could have still been alive in Whitestone and not dead twice over. 

“Miss Tempest?” The robotic voice of the yellow Aeormaton brings Keyleth back to the group in front of her as Laudna fumbles in her seat. She averts her gaze to her lap, twisting and turning her hands on her skirts. 

“I’m sorry,” Keyleth apologizes with a soft smile, unsure of what to say next. She can’t exactly voice her thoughts: your friend has a strong resemblance to my sister. Or I’m sorry I was responsible for your death. 

“You mentioned you had information?” She opts to say instead.

Orym nods, having Keyleth’s full attention on him. The halfling recounts the events since they last saw each other at the Malleus Key. He shares all information they have discovered, and once finished, Imogen takes his place in recounting the other half of the group’s events, mentioning the magic items and research they found in Ludinus’s tower in Mollaesmyr. Keyleth drinks in their words, smiling at the mention of exploding goats and fighting angels—not so much at the idea of followers of Pelor trying to take control over a village. She still remembers her days as an adventurer—has it really been thirty years? Vesper is already a grown woman, so it has to be—and hearing the younger group’s tales brings her joy.

“...and that’s when I heard it, the screaming atop the Malleus Key,” Orym finishes retelling the vision the Matron gave him, much to Keyleth’s horror. 

“No!” Keyleth stands upright, the blanket pooling at her feet. “No, he—” She starts pacing the room, followed by Korrin, whose arms are extended to grab her if she falls.

“Who is he?” Imogen asks. “We saw him briefly, we saw him come to your rescue, and then he was—”

Keyleth’s green eyes focus on her, fiery with rage but also full of sorrow.

“He’s—He was—He…” Keyleth trembles slightly as she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before continuing. “He is the champion of the Matron.”

The group looks at each other and then back at the tall woman. Orym recognizes the sorrow in her eyes. He was someone very dear to her, maybe as much as Will was to him. Orym wants to ask more about the feathery figure, but he tables it for later. Instead, he offers up the rest of the information they gathered just before traveling to Zephrah, “It seems like Ludinus is on Ruidus, and possibly the only way to travel to and from Exandria is using the beacon that connects—”

Orym doesn’t finish the sentence. He doesn’t have to once Keyleth nods, understanding what’s between the lines: they need Vax to stay where he is, suffering, so they can defeat the archmage. As much as it pains Orym—and Keyleth—they know it has to be this way but, at the same time, they exchange a silent look. The woman stands, supporting her weight onto her staff, and walks towards the back door. Korrin stumbles to go after her, but she waves him dismissively, beckoning Orym to walk with her instead. The halfling does so, jumping from the plush couch and running to keep up with her long legs as they walk through the soft pebbled path of her backyard, a multitude of flowers and plants greeting them.

“Orym,” Keyleth turns to face the halfling, bending slowly to sit on a stone bench underneath the canopy of trees that partially cover the path. 

“Tempest,” Orym bows slightly. Keyleth chuckles and waves a hand at him.

“Please, call me Keyleth. There is no more need for formalities between you and me.”

He nods, blushing slightly at the request. 

“I remember how brave you were years ago, when—” Keyleth trails her gaze on the halfling, swallowing hard as she remembers the attack perpetrated on her, the one that killed her best sword and his son, rendering the kind man in front of her a widow. “I—I never thanked you for that. You lost so much that day, and I—”

“Keyleth,” Orym’s voice is soft and kind, and it melts with the tears that fall down his cheeks. “You don’t have to thank me. I did what I had to do to ensure your safety, and I would do it a million times over.”

It’s Keyleth’s turn to blush and release a twinkling tear. “Still,” she whispers, afraid the wind will carry her words to undeserving ears. “You lost someone very dear to you because of me. And—”

“The champion,” Orym smiles in recognition. She nods. “You love him.”

“Until my last dying breath.”

“We will save him, I promise.” Orym places a hand in hers, focusing his look on her green eyes. “I promise Temp—Keyleth. As soon as we are done with Ludinus himself, as soon as we have a chance: we will save him. Bring him back to you.”

“No,” she lowers her head in shame. “You cannot bring him to me. He must return to Her.”

“The Matron?” Orym is confused. He doesn’t know much about the gods, but he has heard some champions of the gods walk the Material Plane, so why wouldn’t he? 

Keyleth nods, and when she speaks, her voice wavers and burns like a thousand shards cutting skin, “His place is with Her. Not with me. Never with me.”

“Key—”

“Not yet,” she interrupts him, burying her head in her hands. “Not yet. It’s too soon. It’s not supposed to be like this.”

Orym places his hands on her shoulders, feeling the pain of the memory of when he saw Will again. He knows what she means. It’s not time for them to reunite, either. They still have a long path ahead and a world to save. 

“I'll save him, I promise.”

[waltwhitmansbeard]

Pausing my ugly crying to ask for a drabble of vilya and vesper playing together under the cherry tree, please?

(I told you I was gonna ask for it. No rush, obviously.)

read these first! probably not what you were thinking but i don't really know these kids' personalities yet lol

turned my water into wine #43

In a million years, this is never where Vex thought she would be at this stage in her life. If she were being honest with herself, which she is, sometimes, she hadn't expected she would make it to this stage at all, not considering the life she and her brother lead for so long. There were so many opportunities for tragedy, for missteps, for one or both of them to falter in their desperate attempts to stay alive.

And yet here they are, backs against the sprawling cherry tree on the castle grounds in Zephrah, watching their young daughters stumble and giggle around the hill in front of them. Vilya is up to Vex's knee now, unbelievable as it is, and Vesper, with her shock of white hair and her father's piercing eyes, scoots about after her, shrieking happily and sticking fistfuls of grass in her mouth.

"Is this real, brother?" she murmurs, tipping her head onto his shoulder.

He presses his cheek into the crown of her head. "Which part, the children or the diseases Vesper is undoubtedly giving herself right now?"

She elbows him. "All of it, you ass."

Just then, Vesper falls to her side and lets out a wail. Before either of them can move, Vilya is there, her favorite stuffed bear in hand, which she unceremoniously plops onto her cousin's chest. The crying ceases at once, and Vesper coos into the bear's fur. Vex can feel her brother grinning.

Vilya toddles up to them, then, leaving Vesper to enjoy her borrowed toy, and says, "Papa, Ves sad!"

Vax reaches out to snatch his daughter up in a hug. "Ves was sad, seedling." Vex straightens up to watch him plant a big kiss on her cheek. "But you made her feel better. That was very kind of you."

"Snack now?" The question is asked with a twist of hope, and Vex laughs.

"Generosity shown in the hopes of a future reward?" Vex tickles her side. "You are my niece, after all."

Vax rolls his eyes and stands, deftly flipping Vilya around so she's perched on his shoulders. "Someday I'm going to have to bail her out of some kind of trouble she learned from you, you understand that, don't you?"

"Nonsense." Vex pads over to her own little girl, whom she scoops up and rests on her hip. "She's going to come to me for such assistance, because she'll know by then that Auntie Vex can get her out of anything." She kisses Vesper's nose, and the baby giggles.

They head back toward the cottage, where Keyleth, with her round belly and her remarkably improved culinary skills, should be close to having the girls' lunch ready. As they walk, Vax nudges Vex's hip with his own. "Hey Stubby?"

"What?"

"It is real. All of it."

And Vex grins from ear to ear, because he's right, and there is no more astonishing miracle than this little life.

[littlebosslady7]

Just You and Me

(A/N No one asked for this. It's just been stuck in my head for awhile. Apologies for any mistakes. Feeling a bit under the weather these past couple days.)

A raven perched on a window tree during a strangely warm autumn morning. Constant chatter was heard through these bustling bed chambers. Clerics and trainees were prepared for the royal birth.

A pained scream breaks through this constant rhythm of directions

"Gah, Gods, h-how much longer?" Keyleth asked, panting and sweaty.

Her hand dug into the familiar scarred wrist of her best friend Percy. He'd been in this helpful position before a few months earlier with his wife Vex and their newborn daughter Vesper. He thought about saying something about that particular tight grip, akin to a vine growing through stone.

But then he looked to an equally exhausted Vex'ahlia, who had just shot him a glare that warned, "I wouldn't if you want to live to see our firstborn have siblings, my darling."

"Right." Percy championed, switching hands for her to squeeze, "You've got this, Keyleth."

She doubted, yet agreed, "O-okay."

"You've got this Kiki." She declared, patting Trinket on his fluffy hind quarters, "You've got this for them."

Both her boys. Vax and their firstborn

Nell advised, "We're at the ring of fire, Tempest. Give of three solid pushes, and you'll meet your boy."

Keyleth bared and grunted. Everyone heard strong cries even before their airways were fully cleared.

"Oh!" Keyleth cried too in both pain and joy, "He sounds so beautiful."

"They're perfect, dear," concurred Vex, peeking down to ensure fellow clergy people were cleaning his airways correctly.

Percy reminded, "Not done yet, dear."

Her legs trembled on the second push, but Percy and Vex kept her steady. His torso was out.

"Nell, can I take a break?" Keyleth requested, voice an octave lower, "I'm fucking exhausted,"

"Just one more Tempest." Nell assured, "You've got to give me more."

With every breath, every fiber in her being, she pushes her baby, her and Vax's child out in this world. A scream as if she summoned a fireball disturbed that visiting raven.

Keyleth whimpered in recognition, "Ashton?"

He was crying as some of the birthing staff carefully place the newborn on her bare chest. She cried too when she blearily spotted that same sleek dark hair.

Both Vex and Kiki sniffled in harmony, "Like his dad."

Nell's unsure of who to hand the medical shearers.

"Oh, I'll-". Percy volunteered with hesitation, "If that's okay with you Keyleth."

She nodded amid a scrunched face.

Percy snipped the umbilical cord. Nell's team cleaned up the Tempest's firstborn. Keyleth and Vex were sobbing and giving a one shoulder hug. The druid had an annoying bout pushing out the afterbirth. But it was all worth when she sees him again. Ashton looked at shapeless tapestries, but their eyes settled on his mama's face.

"Congratulations Key." Vex bid as she and Percy give them some privacy and take Vesper from Pike, Scanlan, "My brother would be so proud."

She whispered with a tired smile, "Yeah, he would."

"We'll be right next door with your cousin if you need us, Keyleth," Percy said, looping an arm around Vex's waist.

Keyleth ran a tentative finger down her newborn's face. He tried to latch onto the digit for some milk. She nursed him with a bit of fussing, but before they slept, she looked for that majestic visiting raven and saw none.

Keyleth mentioned, "Hm, just you and me, kid. But we'll be okay. I swear it."

He cooed with a gassy grin. Right before they slipped into slumber, that visiting raven cawed and perched on her interior mantle.

[star--joy]

Pretend

In which Gwendolyn mimics her father, and Percy can't help but find it adorable.

-

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: None

Words: 1225

Originally posted: 12/3/22

Ao3 link: archiveofourown.org/works/43388748

A heavy sigh slips through Percy’s lips as he opens the door to his office, not even looking up from the letter sent to him by some diplomat from Syngorn. It’s a dreadfully boring thing, detailing useless information about the newest trade route that, frankly, Percy is struggling to care about. Gods, he needs a vacation. Perhaps he and Vex can sneak a trip to Zephrah soon. It would be nice to spend some time away with Vax and Keyleth.

His already drifting attention is fully snatched away by the sound of a stifled giggled from within his office. Percy snaps his head up. The sight presented to him is almost as baffling as it is adorable.

At his desk, Gwendolyn sits, lips pressed together to stop her laughter. To reach the tall desk, she’s stacked several thick, expensive tombs on Percy’s chair and sat atop them. Her form is positively drowning in one of his cloaks that has been repurposed as a blanket draped over her shoulders. A pair of spectacles made of wire and without lenses are sat on her face. On the desk lies a book about the history of Whitestone, and Gwendolyn appears to be reading it.

At least, she’s pretending to read it. The four-year-old can’t possibly begin to parse through the posh vocabulary, but she dutifully trails her finger along the words nonetheless, mouthing random shapes as if she’s whispering the text to herself.

Percy blinks. He doesn’t have any clue how to react to this display.

Gwennie looks up at him, clears her throat, and asks, “Can I help you?” Her efforts to sound professional are undermined by the way she can’t properly pronounce all her letters yet.

“Gwennie, what in Pelor’s name—” Percy begins, amused more than angry.

She shakes her head, bringing attention to her hair, and Percy could swear she’s covered the silky black strands in white chalk dust. “Nu uh. I’m not Gwennie. I’m Lord Percy.” Her legs are kicking gleefully under the desk.

Percy glances at the clock. Her lessons ended an hour ago, so she’s not skipping those. His office isn’t exactly off-limits, either, even though the children have an extensive playroom. And, yes, it’s discouraged for her to steal his coat and put chalk in her hair, but really, those are such small acts of disobedience that he doesn’t have it in him to be mad, or to deny her her game.

Especially when her game involves her mimicking him in such an adorable way.

“My apologies, Lord Percy,” he hums, folding the letter and slipping it in his pocket. “Are you working on something important?”

Gwennie grins. “Mh hm. Very important.” She gestures to the thick book on the desk as proof.

“Ah, I see. What are you reading?” Percy asks, approaching the desk to stand beside his daughter.

She looks down at the text, considering. “It’s about… um… dip-o-mats.”

Percy can’t stop his laughter. “Diplomats, dear,” he corrects her pronunciation, wiping some of the chalk out of her hair, careful to avoid the tender skin around her horns, which are just beginning to come in.

“Yep!” she agrees, despite having no idea what that word truly means. All she knows is that it sounds fancy and formal. “Like Mama! She’s a dip-lo-mat.”

It’s a bit surprising she even knows that much. “Indeed. So, what does this book say about diplomats?” Percy continues, pulling up a chair so he can sit beside Gwennie. Immediately, she chooses to forgo her own chair to clamber onto his lap. He doesn’t even care that the chalk covering her begins to transfer to his clothes.

“It says they’re really pretty, ‘cause Mama’s really pretty. And they’re super smart and cool.”

“Do you want to be a diplomat, Lord Percy?” he asks, tapping her nose to make her giggle and squirm.

“Nu uh. I’m a clock maker. I made this!” Gwennie insists, pointing to the bejeweled wrist-watch that her father had made her for her fourth birthday. “See? I even signed it!”

The writing she points to is not a signature, but an engraving of the words, ‘For Gwendolyn, my beloved daughter.’ Percy doesn’t have the heart to tell her that, though. “An admirable profession.”

Gwennie grins. “Mm hm. ‘Cause I’m super smart. Like you! Mama’s pretty and you’re smart.”

“And you are both,” Percy hums, adjusting his cloak as it tries to slip off her tiny shoulders. “My beautiful, brilliant girl. Did you make these glasses, darling?” he taps the wire spectacles on her face.

“Uncle Tary helped a little… but it was my idea!” Her pride shines through as she adjusts the faux-glasses to sit higher on her nose.

“A maker of clocks and glasses? My, aren’t you talented. What was the inspiration behind these?”

Gwennie throws her arms around his shoulders. “I just wanted to be like you, daddy.”

Oh, and that just makes him melt into something disgusting and gooey. Percy will never understand how he got so lucky to be blessed with Gwendolyn, or any of his children, but it’s a miracle he’ll cling to and appreciate with a fierce vigor. “You know, I’ll never complain about you playing pretend, dear, but I do like Gwennie far more than Lord Percy. And, ah, perhaps we should clean this chalk out of your hair before your mother sees it.”

“Too late,” the woman in question calls out, announcing her presence to the pair.

“Mama! Mama!” Gwennie calls out, clambering out of Percy’s lap so she can run up and bury herself in Vex’s poofy skirts. Vex smiles and meets her halfway, reaching down to lift Gwennie into her arms. 

“Have you been playing dress-up, darling?”

“Mm hm! I wanted to be like Daddy!” she says, reaching out for Percy and making grabby hands.

Percy follows her unspoken instructions, joining his girls and wrapping Vex in a hug that sandwiches Gwennie between them, much to the little girl’s delight. She shrieks in laughter, and it’s a sound sweeter than the finest bard’s lute.

“Well, you certainly look the part. Though, that cloak is a bit large for you. I think we’ll have to make you one of your own.”

That’s an idea, Percy thinks. He makes a mental note to reach out to the castle tailor soon. Vex sends him a knowing look, but he can’t find it in himself to be embarrassed by appreciating his daughter’s adorable games.

Especially when Gwennie claps her hands together. “Can we? Please? Pleaseeeeee?”

“I’ll look into it,” Percy promises, finally parting himself from Vex’s embrace. “For now, I think it’s time to take a bath. Chalk isn’t typically supposed to go in hair.”

“Ten more minutes?” Gwennie asks, burrowing into her mother’s arms and batting her eyes at Percy.

With her, ‘ten more minutes’ really means at least an hour.

And yet, Percy is a weak, weak man, and really, what’s the harm in waiting a bit? “Alright. Ten more minutes.”

The speed at which he gave into her makes Vex roll her eyes, but she doesn’t overrule him. How can she, when Gwennie is already beaming with her success? “Thank you, Daddy! Mama, did you see my glasses? I made them!”

As his daughter dramatically explains her process of crafting the glasses and his wife listens along, smiling softly, Percy has never felt happier. 

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

"In your own sweet time" by Hozier and Karen Cowley sounds like a song Rock Band AU keyleth and vax would release like 5 years later as a 'hey guys we are indeed alive' but it's the first duet they have properly released together and it breaks the internet (they immediately go on another 5 year hiatus)

LMAOOO you're so right though

I think that after a while, they stop making music for other people and just make if for themselves and maybe they release a few EPs every so often and then this song comes out and everyone loses their minds. And maybe during the hiatus, they have a baby and no one has any idea until the next song comes out and it's dedicated to their daughter.