[ She does not like how distant he suddenly looks, how there seems to be a gulf between them where there wasn't one previously. She doesn't like that look, not at all, and her hand moves from her hair to grasp at her brother's arm.
All this from one question. And now he won't even look at her, and she tries to duck her head a little, trying not to let her own distress show. ]
Brother? [she tries not to let her voice sound as worried as she feels, but can't quite manage a tentative smile] A thing..? Memories? [what. she tries to follow, but she's distinctly confused. He remembers, but maybe he's also..forgotten? But no, that's not quite right either. there's a flicker of outrage though, back stiffening] They did something to us while we were asleep? But, what, why?
[ She's confused, he's confusing. And then her breath stalls out. ]
A year? But.. But how can that.. [Lifting her hand from the blanket, she rests a hand on the side of his face, making him keep even gaze with her.] A year?
[ her hand at his arm helps to ground him, but it doesn't help how much further away he feels. vax thinks back to keyleth, back to when he couldn't wrap his head around things getting worse than they had been, and now he understood.
vax can't meet her eyes just yet. not when he tilts her head to try and see him. but then there's her voice, worried and tilted even when she tries to not make it so, and he hates it. he shakes his head at her questions, his brow furrowed as he does so. ] I don't know. I don't know any details, she didn't want to talk about it-
[ all of a sudden, he understands. he gets it. he doesn't want to talk about what happened, he doesn't want to add all of that to vex's plate. but lying to vex had never been something he was good at. was this lying? lying by omission?
her hand settles on his face, and he looks at her, keeps his gaze on hers despite how much he does want to pull away. how much that age old urge has him thinking about running. somewhere. anywhere. but he won't, because the only place he'd ever run to had always been to her.
at the question, he gives her a slow nod. ] At least. I don't know how, or why, but when I agreed to this whole thing it had been much, much later than Glintshore. We stopped Ripley, we got the Vestigates, we- [ brought percy back. but he can't say that, can he? can't drop that on her. when he exhales, his shoulders drop with it, unsure of how to deal with this with vex. were it anyone else, vax would be find not to share it all. it would unnecessarily complicate everything, so why bother? except this is vex, this is his other half. ]
Not that it matters, I guess. [ when those words escape, they're quiet. unsure. vax takes in a breath and then leans forward, setting his forehead on vex's shoulder. ] You're okay. Everyone's...okay.
[ Not that it matters, I guess. Those words ring hollow in her ears, a falsehood that Vax can't quite pull off, and though her voice doesn't turn shrill, she's certainly going to call this out. ]
So much has passed and it doesn't matter?! Vax, you can't be serious about that part, in the very least. That's...so much time lost.
We'll just..have to find some way to get them back. And even if we can't.. [hand drifts up into his hair when he ducks his head forward, letting him rest against her shoulder while she stares at the beads woven there, then past him to the wall. She knows how much Vax depends on her, and there's a knot of guilt forming, almost unreasonably upset at herself for causing her brother pain however inadvertently.] We are okay. We're both here, and we're both alive, and everyone's --almost all here.
[ She falls silent for a minute, trying to deal with this sudden revelation that's been dropped into their laps, and her hand stills at the back of her brother's head. Her voice is almost tiny, but the need for clarification, for confirmation is clear. ]
...but we won? Against Vorugal, and Raishan. [a beat] Thordak. We won?
[ he winces a bit at the sound of her voice, knowing that it wasn't the right thing to say. knowing that he should have worded it a bit differently. but the point is still there - does it matter that there's so much time between them? what does it change? other than his selfish discomfort that his sister is somehow, here, out of his reach...at least she is here.
vax realizes he needs to stop thinking it will all be as easy as he wanted it to be. their world ended, and some otherworldly beings came down to save them. it would be too much to assume it would all stay the same. ]
I don't know if we can, but we can try. [ he wants to try, but also, he wonders if he should. having vex remember everything would be easier, yes, but wouldn't it inadvertently cause her more pain? with all that they've lost. with all that's happened. if he could spare her all of that pain....
but then there is that shift to her tone. and vax is suddenly aware of what could be going through her head. he pulls away from her then to find her eyes, his own intense and serious. ] We are. [ he confirms, like there was ever a question. ] We were back home, and we are here. Everyone else will wake up, and then when they do we can really figure out what's going on... [ he shakes his head, suddenly realizing how what he said came out and wanting to right it. but then there are her questions, and vax calms briefly, the small smile more subconscious than anything. ]
Yes, sister. [ because that much he can tell her. ] Tal'dorei is safe. Or- was. [ the storm is another issue entirely that he's not sure he wants to get into. that, and what keyleth had told him. it all gets so much worse. does that mean that if they get their memories back, if they get them all back, they'll get those too?
no, he can't worry about that. for now, he just smiles at vex, leaning forward to set his forehead against her's and letting his eyes close. ] We won.
[ It's bad enough that she knows Vax, knows he'll do anything to protect her, even from herself sometimes; she doesn't know if he'll willingly keep things from her now. But given the choice to remember, and the choice to (permanently?) forget, Vex will take memories every time. They're hers and no one else has the right to deny her them. Furthermore, she could never choose to allow others to bear this burden alone. ]
There's definitely more than meets the eye here. [She didn't miss that trailing thought, Vax.] They could be scattering the lot of us across this whole world, but they're not. Instead, we're all centered here. And seem to think it's where we need to be.
[ Neither twin is a fan of destiny, of fate - particularly the fate-touched sibling who offered himself in her place. Yet she can at least thank them for keeping her with her family, incomplete memories or otherwise. ]
..Fuck. So all of that was worth it. ..Even if the Storm overtook Tal'dorei, we did it. We..won. [she can't help but smile as at least some relief crashes down, washes over her like a wave, voice full of affection.] You fuck! You could have fucking led with that, you know! [she shoves his chest hard, before resettling so they can sit forehead to forehead once more.
She just really wishes she could remember that victory.]
[ he just...needs a bit more time to think about it. and yes, he knows that isn't the best route to take, and that his sister will be mad at him if he decides to come back and bring it up with her, but he just...can't do it right now. so he lets the conversation shift away from it, to something more tangible. to something that they can do something about.
he smirks a little at vex's thought. ] Gods can't keep us apart. They've tried that already. [ is that offensive? should he be worrying about the raven queen listening it? either way, he feels better for it. falling back into a comfortable place for them. them against the world, gods and destiny be damned. ] But it certainly makes things easier. [ no, she's right. they should be thankful that they all ended up in the same side of this world, in the same town, close enough to hear jenga being yelled out across a market square. he doesn't really know what he'd be doing right now if he hadn't found them when he did, but that's also not something he needs to worry about.
her relief is palpable, and vax feeds off it. unable to keep the way his smile matches hers. he even lets her shove against his chest, laughing a bit too as their foreheads came back together. he wants to tell her. tell her how they followed thordak down into the sewers. how they took on the greatest of dragons, the entire conclave. how they won. but he's no wordsmith, he knows he'll fuck it up somehow, so instead he just closes his eyes and calms his heart.
it'll be fine. they'll deal with this. vex is safe and she is alive and their family is all together, complicated as always. ] And ruin the surprise? [ his grin grows a bit at that. ]
[ Vex will probably spend that same time overthinking the lack of memories, and then desperately ignoring the implications in an effort to move past the impact of this new discovery. It will probably go poorly, in all honesty, but by gum is she going to give it a try. ]
They're probably more afraid of the damage we'd do from trying to keep us apart. [because vox machina are pretty damned dangerous on a bad day] And since we're centralised, when Grog and Scanlan wake up, it'll be easier for them to find us too.
[ And Gilmore, and Allura and Kima, and Velora and and and and the potential list is endless. But she doesn't dwell on the present. Instead, there's that nebulous future-past that lies between her and Vax, and that grin gets another thump and a huff. ]
I hate you. [she doesn't and he knows it, especially given her answering grin] All right, fine, so what other surprises are you keeping from me that I should know about?
[ she can overthink all she wants, but vax will be stubborn in his current stance. for now, it doesn't matter. for now, they have bigger things to worry about. for now...
for now, vex is safe. and keyleth is safe. and pike and percy are here with grog and tary and scanlan, apparently, up in the pods. he can move forward with that and find footing with that. and if it keeps bothering vex, well. that's something he can deal with at that time. later. when he has a better idea of what he wants to do with it.
for now, he can work with this. ]
Yeah, you're probably right. [ she usually is.
and then there's scanlan, and vax pauses for a moment, already in on the- ] And Tary- [ before realizing everything that comes around it. he's got to be better about that, he realizes, and gives a sigh. ]
A lot...happens. But what's important is that we won, and we're all safe. The last thing I remember was a bit of...downtime, as crazy as that sounds. But we have the time and it's...good. [ his smile is a bit...weighted, there. not bad weighted, but interesting. the idea of vex staying back with percy, becoming the mistress of the grey hunt, a baroness, all of these things he doesn't want to take from her. not in simple, easy ways he would list them off. ] Really good. You open a bakery.
[ Vex will worry. And compartmentalise. And worry further. And no doubt it will all rush back to haunt at a moment most inconvenient.
But for now, there's a new situation and between the two of them, they'll be able to pull their found family through it.
A mentioned name gets a blank look, however. ]
Who?
So it would seem. [lips purse a moment] I'd say that's almost too good to be true, given how much we'll need it when we're done.. But I guess we are done, huh. [she brushes her fringe from her eyes, then squints at him] A bakery. [..uh huh.]
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(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-03 05:12 am (UTC)All this from one question. And now he won't even look at her, and she tries to duck her head a little, trying not to let her own distress show. ]
Brother? [she tries not to let her voice sound as worried as she feels, but can't quite manage a tentative smile] A thing..? Memories? [what. she tries to follow, but she's distinctly confused. He remembers, but maybe he's also..forgotten? But no, that's not quite right either. there's a flicker of outrage though, back stiffening] They did something to us while we were asleep? But, what, why?
[ She's confused, he's confusing. And then her breath stalls out. ]
A year? But.. But how can that.. [Lifting her hand from the blanket, she rests a hand on the side of his face, making him keep even gaze with her.] A year?
(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-03 03:09 pm (UTC)vax can't meet her eyes just yet. not when he tilts her head to try and see him. but then there's her voice, worried and tilted even when she tries to not make it so, and he hates it. he shakes his head at her questions, his brow furrowed as he does so. ] I don't know. I don't know any details, she didn't want to talk about it-
[ all of a sudden, he understands. he gets it. he doesn't want to talk about what happened, he doesn't want to add all of that to vex's plate. but lying to vex had never been something he was good at. was this lying? lying by omission?
her hand settles on his face, and he looks at her, keeps his gaze on hers despite how much he does want to pull away. how much that age old urge has him thinking about running. somewhere. anywhere. but he won't, because the only place he'd ever run to had always been to her.
at the question, he gives her a slow nod. ] At least. I don't know how, or why, but when I agreed to this whole thing it had been much, much later than Glintshore. We stopped Ripley, we got the Vestigates, we- [ brought percy back. but he can't say that, can he? can't drop that on her. when he exhales, his shoulders drop with it, unsure of how to deal with this with vex. were it anyone else, vax would be find not to share it all. it would unnecessarily complicate everything, so why bother? except this is vex, this is his other half. ]
Not that it matters, I guess. [ when those words escape, they're quiet. unsure. vax takes in a breath and then leans forward, setting his forehead on vex's shoulder. ] You're okay. Everyone's...okay.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-04 01:32 am (UTC)So much has passed and it doesn't matter?! Vax, you can't be serious about that part, in the very least. That's...so much time lost.
We'll just..have to find some way to get them back. And even if we can't.. [hand drifts up into his hair when he ducks his head forward, letting him rest against her shoulder while she stares at the beads woven there, then past him to the wall. She knows how much Vax depends on her, and there's a knot of guilt forming, almost unreasonably upset at herself for causing her brother pain however inadvertently.] We are okay. We're both here, and we're both alive, and everyone's --almost all here.
[ She falls silent for a minute, trying to deal with this sudden revelation that's been dropped into their laps, and her hand stills at the back of her brother's head. Her voice is almost tiny, but the need for clarification, for confirmation is clear. ]
...but we won? Against Vorugal, and Raishan. [a beat] Thordak. We won?
(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-04 01:57 am (UTC)vax realizes he needs to stop thinking it will all be as easy as he wanted it to be. their world ended, and some otherworldly beings came down to save them. it would be too much to assume it would all stay the same. ]
I don't know if we can, but we can try. [ he wants to try, but also, he wonders if he should. having vex remember everything would be easier, yes, but wouldn't it inadvertently cause her more pain? with all that they've lost. with all that's happened. if he could spare her all of that pain....
but then there is that shift to her tone. and vax is suddenly aware of what could be going through her head. he pulls away from her then to find her eyes, his own intense and serious. ] We are. [ he confirms, like there was ever a question. ] We were back home, and we are here. Everyone else will wake up, and then when they do we can really figure out what's going on... [ he shakes his head, suddenly realizing how what he said came out and wanting to right it. but then there are her questions, and vax calms briefly, the small smile more subconscious than anything. ]
Yes, sister. [ because that much he can tell her. ] Tal'dorei is safe. Or- was. [ the storm is another issue entirely that he's not sure he wants to get into. that, and what keyleth had told him. it all gets so much worse. does that mean that if they get their memories back, if they get them all back, they'll get those too?
no, he can't worry about that. for now, he just smiles at vex, leaning forward to set his forehead against her's and letting his eyes close. ] We won.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-04 06:16 pm (UTC)There's definitely more than meets the eye here. [She didn't miss that trailing thought, Vax.] They could be scattering the lot of us across this whole world, but they're not. Instead, we're all centered here. And seem to think it's where we need to be.
[ Neither twin is a fan of destiny, of fate - particularly the fate-touched sibling who offered himself in her place. Yet she can at least thank them for keeping her with her family, incomplete memories or otherwise. ]
..Fuck. So all of that was worth it. ..Even if the Storm overtook Tal'dorei, we did it. We..won. [she can't help but smile as at least some relief crashes down, washes over her like a wave, voice full of affection.] You fuck! You could have fucking led with that, you know! [she shoves his chest hard, before resettling so they can sit forehead to forehead once more.
She just really wishes she could remember that victory.]
(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-05 09:14 pm (UTC)he smirks a little at vex's thought. ] Gods can't keep us apart. They've tried that already. [ is that offensive? should he be worrying about the raven queen listening it? either way, he feels better for it. falling back into a comfortable place for them. them against the world, gods and destiny be damned. ] But it certainly makes things easier. [ no, she's right. they should be thankful that they all ended up in the same side of this world, in the same town, close enough to hear jenga being yelled out across a market square. he doesn't really know what he'd be doing right now if he hadn't found them when he did, but that's also not something he needs to worry about.
her relief is palpable, and vax feeds off it. unable to keep the way his smile matches hers. he even lets her shove against his chest, laughing a bit too as their foreheads came back together. he wants to tell her. tell her how they followed thordak down into the sewers. how they took on the greatest of dragons, the entire conclave. how they won. but he's no wordsmith, he knows he'll fuck it up somehow, so instead he just closes his eyes and calms his heart.
it'll be fine. they'll deal with this. vex is safe and she is alive and their family is all together, complicated as always. ] And ruin the surprise? [ his grin grows a bit at that. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-06 07:49 pm (UTC)They're probably more afraid of the damage we'd do from trying to keep us apart. [because vox machina are pretty damned dangerous on a bad day] And since we're centralised, when Grog and Scanlan wake up, it'll be easier for them to find us too.
[ And Gilmore, and Allura and Kima, and Velora and and and and the potential list is endless. But she doesn't dwell on the present. Instead, there's that nebulous future-past that lies between her and Vax, and that grin gets another thump and a huff. ]
I hate you. [she doesn't and he knows it, especially given her answering grin] All right, fine, so what other surprises are you keeping from me that I should know about?
(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-09 08:03 pm (UTC)for now, vex is safe. and keyleth is safe. and pike and percy are here with grog and tary and scanlan, apparently, up in the pods. he can move forward with that and find footing with that. and if it keeps bothering vex, well. that's something he can deal with at that time. later. when he has a better idea of what he wants to do with it.
for now, he can work with this. ]
Yeah, you're probably right. [ she usually is.
and then there's scanlan, and vax pauses for a moment, already in on the- ] And Tary- [ before realizing everything that comes around it. he's got to be better about that, he realizes, and gives a sigh. ]
A lot...happens. But what's important is that we won, and we're all safe. The last thing I remember was a bit of...downtime, as crazy as that sounds. But we have the time and it's...good. [ his smile is a bit...weighted, there. not bad weighted, but interesting. the idea of vex staying back with percy, becoming the mistress of the grey hunt, a baroness, all of these things he doesn't want to take from her. not in simple, easy ways he would list them off. ] Really good. You open a bakery.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-10-18 07:11 pm (UTC)But for now, there's a new situation and between the two of them, they'll be able to pull their found family through it.
A mentioned name gets a blank look, however. ]
Who?
So it would seem. [lips purse a moment] I'd say that's almost too good to be true, given how much we'll need it when we're done.. But I guess we are done, huh. [she brushes her fringe from her eyes, then squints at him] A bakery. [..uh huh.]