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

[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.

[hunters_mark]

"We'll see you later, darling," Vex calls back in turn - and then turns to Clarota, to pass over the ring. "First, this is for you. Second, we should probably try and find somewhere to get you some robes of their own so that Tiberius can have his back and so they don't look so short."

Clarota takes the ring and puts it on, eyeing it for a moment before he looks back to the twins. "Do you have someone you trust for that?"

Vex thinks for a moment and then looks to her brother. "Maybe we should just go for some things off the rack..."

Because no, she doesn't know of anyone who focuses on clothing that she trusts like they trust Gilmore.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

"Or find out who Tibs's tailor is," Vax suggests. They might be able to look at the robes, knowing Tiberius's measurements, and eyeball how much more fabric to add, to make them fit Clarota right. Or maybe they won't mind working with a Mind Flayer, if they're okay doing clothing for a red Dragonborn, or -- well, either way, it's going to be a little difficult, finding Clarota something without outing him.

[hunters_mark]

"Tiberius likely has his sent here from Draconia," Vex points out lightly, adopting a little of Tiberius's accent as she says the place name. "I know there are places around here that sell robes," she continues back in her own voice. "Let's have a look, and if we don't have any luck, we can try something else."

She gestures for Trinket to rejoin them as they move back into the main flow of traffic, as she keeps an eye out for a robe shop. "Ah," she says finally, gesturing for the boys to follow her. "This looks promising."

The shop is plainer than Gilmore's, though not in a negative way. The building is made of dark wood with two large windows bearing mannequins wearing robes of assorted colors and styles. Its double doors are both open wide with more mannequins holding them open.

Inside, the shop is divided mostly in half, with the part closer to the door filled with racks of pre-made robes in a wild variety from plain brown to ones with delicate embroidery. The back wall of the shop, on the other hand, is covered in bolts of cloth with an area for measuring patrons who wish to place custom orders.

As they enter, a human woman sitting behind the counter looks up from an embroidery hoop, blinking at them over her glasses. She looks slightly plump, her deep red hair pulled back in a braid that's laying over her shoulder. There are freckles dotted across her cheeks, and it's clear she's used to smiling. "Oh, hello. Can I help you?"

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

"Right, yeah," Vax allows, deflating a little, even as he makes a small, sour face. If only it would be so easy. He can only hope that between him and Vex, they can lie well enough to get Clarota what he needs without issue. He wishes, as they stop in front of the shop, that he'd thought to bring Scanlan with them.

Too late now.

"Yeah, hi, I hope so?" Vax starts, stepping up to the counter. He flashes her a smile, convincing but brief, and glances back over his shoulder at his sister and Clarota. "My friend here needs a few sets of robes, but he's a little ... shy. He sort of has problems with ... " He opens and closes his hands a few times, trying to get across the idea that Clarota has issues with being touched. Possibly due to some tragic incident, if the look he puts on, following, is any indication.

So far, so good, he thinks.

[ihatepuns]

The clerk returns Vax's smile, tucking her needle into the corner of her embroidery when he goes on, when it's clear they're not just looking, and sets it aside as she turns her head to look at Clarota. She blinks at him, looking him up and down once, clearly impressed by the height and doing some mental measuring - and then reaches up to take her glasses off altogether, letting them hang against her chest from the chain looped around the ends of the earpieces.

"Well, you are a tall one," she begins lightly, teasing, "but we might have some things that'll suit you, and they'll give us a place to start if you do need some things custom made." She pauses a beat. "Though we can get your measurements without my direct involvement. We have some magic for that."

She reaches down behind the counter and comes up with a small woven basket. She takes the lid off and hums a note - and the end of a measuring tape rises up out of the basket like a charmed snake. It hovers there for a moment - and then she hums again, and it returns to the basket, and she puts the lid back on. "Should we need it," she says, finally, like she's finishing a sentence.

"But yes, let's see what we can find, shall we?" She steps out from behind the desk properly, leading the way to part of the store, glancing back at the group a time or two to check Clarota's size again.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

"Well, that's handy," Vax mumbles, impressed. He's half-tempted to let her measure Clarota right off the bat and have him some custom things made, just so they know they'll fit right, rather than just grabbing something off the rack, but -- well, he's not subjecting Clarota to that if they can find something. If he's not sold on what she has on offer, then they can talk about the measuring tape, but it'll ultimately be Clarota's choice. It's all his choice. Vax doesn't want him to feel uncomfortable.

That in mind, he nods after the shopkeeper, before falling into step behind her. "C'mmon, Noodles."

He should have a say in what color and style his robes are, too, assuming she has more than one in his size.

[ihatepuns]

"It makes things easier," she agrees over her shoulder to Vax's comment as she heads for a rack of robes. "Now, these are some of our longer offerings," she begins when she reaches it. "We keep things arranged by size and then price, so things at this end are going to be your plainer ones, and then the fancier ones are down there closer to you. Everything can be altered to a degree, of course." She pauses a beat. "Were you looking for a certain color or anything like that?"

Clarota looks from the rack of clothing to what he's wearing to the twins, clearly a little at a loss, and Vex hums lightly, thoughtfully, as she slips past him to consider the rack, looking to the clerk.

"Nothing too fancy, I think, she begins. "And I might be a little biased, but I would suggest something in a blue." She smiles, reaching up to touch her feathers. "Would it be alright if we just looked for a moment?" she asks the woman, who immediately nods.

"Of course!," she agrees. "If you need anything, I'll just be at the desk. My name is Evie."

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

"Thanks," Vax tells her absently and as she steps away, already half-buried in the stack of robes. He's not sure he agrees that Clarota would look best in blue, not sure he wouldn't end up looking like some kind of berry with his natural skin tone, but still, when he steps away from the rack, it's a blue robe he pulls out.

He holds it up to Clarota, trying to decide whether or not it looks like it'd fit him. When he decides he has no fucking clue, he lowers it again, looking sheepishly helpless.

[hunters_mark]

Vex steps up beside her brother, looking from the robe to Clarota and back again. "I think that could work," she says thoughtfully. "Though we'll need a few options, of course, so you're not just left with the one."

She turns her attention to the racks, going through a few and pulling out some in other colors.

Clarota himself, for his part, has no idea what to do to contribute here and stands to the side, hands linked together as he watches Vex. He does show the barest of reactions a time or two when she holds some up to him, but he's clearly very lost.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

"If you have any strong opinions ... " Vax starts gently, when he starts to feel like Clarota might be getting overwhelmed. He doesn't expect him to know everything he likes, not nearly, maybe he doesn't even have a favorite or least favorite color, considering what home was like, but still. He's sure Clarota will have a gut reaction or two, one way or the other, in response to some of the things Vex is coming up with, and he knows that choice, no matter how small, helps sometimes. Being able to say no helps.

[ihatepuns]

Clarota looks to Vax - and then shakes his head slowly. This is not something I have experience with. I trust you and your sister to keep me from looking a fool.

Don't let him look stupid, Vax - and it's probably better to avoid anything that will make him look extra evil - which Vex seems to realize, as she lifts something red and high-collared, frowns at it, and puts it back on the rack.