my friends and i, we got a lot of problems (rp for ihatepuns)

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

The morning after returning to Emon and Vox Machnia is right back where it started. Sort of. They are, thankfully, not still in the Underdark and there's light, real light, spilling in from the window beyond the table and turning the remains of more than a dozen breakfast dishes from silver to gold, but the arguments have started again. Vax really isn't surprised, given the gravity of the situation, the Horn, whether or not they can trust Kima and her people, whether or not they can trust Allura for the same reasons, but they're all going around in circles, now, and anytime someone tries to step up, to say their idea is what they're going with, the end, the others shoot them down in unison. It's the only thing they can seem to agree on, really, and it's getting fucking tedious.

That in mind and despite the fact that he already unofficially excused himself from this conversation long ago, throwing the towel in on trying to be heard over the others, he shoots a sideways glance at Clarota. A glance turns into a thoughtful look, accompanied by a frown, a moment after that, and a moment after that, Vax focuses himself inwards, practically shouting in his own head, even if his only outwards tell is him vaguely tilting in Clarota's direction.

Hey, Noodles. If I think really loud, can you hear me?

Comments

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

"It helps that I'm the cute one," Vax informs her seriously, and never mind the fact that they're all but identical. "Otherwise ... " He makes a vague noise and offers her an equally ambiguous shrug. Her guess is as good as his, beyond that.

[hunters_mark]

"Trinket is the cute one," she counters, and the bear huffs at the sound of his name, nosing at her side, and she reaches back to pat him. "But I suppose it's just one of those mysteries."

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

"Trinket is the cute one," he echoes, dutifully. If he thinks to mirror his sister and give Trinket some love, it's all forgotten as they step back out into the foyer, however, and he takes a few steps further beyond the both of them, to meet Clarota.

[hunters_mark]

Trinket tilts his head, huffing again at Vax's use of his name but doesn't seem too disappointed when pets don't follow.

Clarota looks up as they approach, nodding a greeting to Vex. "Again, I thank you for this."

Vex waves a hand at him. "You're welcome, of course, but I can't very well argue against anything that will keep people from coming to the wrong conclusions and trying to kill one of us." She gestures past them all, to the entrance of the keep. "We shouldn't keep him waiting."

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

"Definitely not any fun," Vax agrees, nodding. Thankfully, that won't be a problem for long, and so he continues on, leading the way back out. He glances back, even if he expects Clarota and his sister to follow, and offers a, "But yeah, c'mmon. Shaun's waiting."

[hunters_mark]

Clarota, Vex, and Trinket follow along as Vax leads the way back into Emon, back to Gilmore's shop. Once they arrive, Vex turns to Trinket. "Wait out here for me, okay, buddy?" She scritches the bear behind the ears as he grumbles at her but wanders over to plop down in front of the shop obediently.

"Shall we?" she asks the others, gesturing for them to proceed her into the shop.

[glorious_goods]

"Let's, yeah," Vax allows, leading the way.

Inside, Gilmore is loitering by the counter, pretending to be busy and -- mostly failing. Sherri might buy that he's actually being useful, if only because she's pointedly not paying him much attention, very busy with her own, real work and only partially because the boss is right there, but he's not fooling anyone else. The fact that he straightens when he sees them and immediately heads over doesn't help much with the illusion.

"Vex'ahlia, darling," he drawls, as he meets them. A nod to Vax follows, then one to Clarota.

[hunters_mark]

"Gilmore," she returns warmly, leaning in to press a kiss to one cheek and then the other before she steps back. "How're things here?"

She could get right to business, but a little small talk won't hurt first considering it has been a while since she's seen him and does consider him a friend beyond just a business associate.

[glorious_goods]

Gilmore returns the peck with one of his own, smile a little more real as he pulls away. The small talk helps with the stress of the very interesting day he's been having. "Oh, you know. Same old, same old." A beat. "You?"

[hunters_mark]

She hums, amused, considering she can figure the kind of day he's been having thanks to them. "You know. Getting lost underground for what seemed to be an interminable amount of time, making new friends..." She trails off to gesture in Clarota's direction, who blinks at her. "Barely making it back alive, the usual."

[glorious_goods]

"Have I mentioned how glad I am that I never got into the adventuring business?" Spending long periods of time underground doesn't really seem like his idea of a good time; almost dying on the regular definitely isn't. He's very grateful that the most stressful thing he has to deal with on the daily is -- well, this. Today has been enough for him to last a lifetime.

"Though, speaking of," he continues after a beat and almost apologetically. He hates to change the subject, but, "I take it you're here about the ring I showed your brother, earlier?"

[hunters_mark]

Vex chuckles in response to Gilmore's question. "But it's such fun," she returns with more than a touch of sarcasm. It's not like she has a real problem with their lifestyle, but yes, not nearly dying once a week would be nice.

"I am here about the ring," she agrees, turning a little more serious in turn. "They said it might cut back on... unfortunate timing and discoveries."

[glorious_goods]

"That's the hope," Gilmore answers. The look he levels her with suggests it's more than just a hope, however. He knows this will help -- or at least work better than wasting spells every few hours and hoping for the best.

Either way, that said, he produces a ring box from the sleeves of his robes, holding it out to Vex to open, inspect. If she's happy with it, they can talk money. He expects Vex'ahlia to try and talk him down from the quote he gave her brother.

[hunters_mark]

Vex does trust Gilmore's work and knows it will do what it's supposed to without fail. She takes the box when he offers it over, opening it. "Oh, it's lovely," she says lightly. "And I would ask what sort of magic it has on it, but that means more to Tiberius or Scanlan than it would to me.

"What did you say the price on this was?" she asks, looking up from the ring and back to Gilmore.

[glorious_goods]

Warring with a sudden smile, deliriously thrilled by the normalcy of the moment, compared to the rest of the day and regardless of how much he was expecting it, he quotes her the same price he gave Vax'ildan, earlier. A pause follows, and then he adds, "And that's with your discount, of course."

[hunters_mark]

She frowns at him a little. "Is it?" she asks, clearly disbelieving. It's not that she thinks it's a ridiculously high price, but, well. She wouldn't be Vex if she didn't haggle. Which she does, now, countering with a slightly lower price that's not insultingly low but makes it obvious she knows she won't be able to talk him down too much on this one.

[glorious_goods]

Gilmore seems a little surprised that she's not trying to drive him down further, even if, no, she probably won't have much luck on that front, but -- well, she probably knows that. That in mind, he takes a minute to honestly consider that, then nods slowly. "I think maybe I can do that."

He holds out a hand. Shake on it?

[hunters_mark]

It also has a bit to do with the fact that she doesn't really want to make a scene during Clarota's first visit here (well, not more of a scene than was already made, anyway) on top of the fact that she knows they both know how much they need the ring for him. She'll make it up to you later, Gilmore.

"Sounds good," she returns, holding out a hand to return his handshake. Then, she starts going through her purse, digging out the asked for gold to pass it over. "Anything else new?" she asks as she does.

[glorious_goods]

"I always have something new," he tells her, gathering the gold into a pouch, pulled from his belt, before returning it there. He'll add it to the store's funds, later. It's safe enough with him for the time being. "It depends on what you're looking for, exactly."

He could probably make a few suggestions off the top of his head, based on what he knows about Vox Machina and what they get up to, but if she's looking for something specific, he can see what he has.

[hunters_mark]

"Hm," she hums, looking back over her shoulder, first to Clarota and then to Vax. "Anything the two of you can think of?"

She might be inclined to pick up something else for Clarota, but she also knows they need to pick him up some more basic things before they get too deep into the magical. She'll take any suggestions her brother might have, though.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

"Not off the top of my head," Vax drawls after a long moment. He can think of a few things that might be fun for Clarota, for what little he knows of magic and magical items, but they're not strictly necessary. He can always borrow things from the rest of the party to fill in any gaps, a fair spread of loot between them, if not entirely unused, tucked away in the Bag of Holding, and there are other things Clarota needs beyond toys.

"Noodles?" he prompts, regardless. If Clarota can think of anything he needs or wants, he won't stop him from throwing that hat in. Maybe he has something important in mind that he's forgotten -- or doesn't know enough about to think up in the first place.

[ihatepuns]

The problem is that Clarota himself doesn't really know what he might need, either. That in mind, he looks between the twins and Gilmore, giving a slow shake of his head. "This will serve for now, I think," he returns, gesturing to indicate the ring.

He also doesn't want to ask for too much right off, considering he does know how much Vex just spent on him and the fact that he does need to find clothing so that he can return Tiberius's robes to their owner.

[glorious_goods]

"Well, if you think of anything else -- " A beat. " -- or I think of anything -- " Nothing's coming to mind, right now, but that might change. He, after all, has a better idea what a sorcerer might want or need, adventurer or otherwise. " -- I'll still be here, later."

Maybe he'll have a better handle on all of this, by the time they come back.

[ihatepuns]

Clarota will appreciate the suggestions, honestly. He realizes he already trusts Vox Machina to help him acclimate and figure out what he does need despite the fact that he's still working on calling them friends. "You have my thanks. And again, my apologies."

He really didn't mean to scare the shit out of you, Gilmore.

[glorious_goods]

"You're fine," Gilmore promises, waving him off.

"Thanks, Shaun," Vax offers, regardless, both for being willing to trust them on this and for the help, otherwise, and Gilmore turns his flitting fingers on him. Vax makes a face at him, as if he was his sister, and then turns to his actual sister, to ask, "So, what now?"

Beyond, obviously, passing the ring off to Clarota.