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

[ihatepuns]

Clarota offers Vax a more suspicious hum this time, in response to his first comment.

He goes a little quieter as Vax goes on, sounding a little doubtful, now. Do you think it wise for me to meet your friends without advance warning?

He's assuming Vax isn't going to immediately announced what's under the illusion spell, but, well. He'd like for his first real trip into their city not to involve a brawl.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

I trust Shaun, Vax answers immediately, thoughts colored by something warm, not unlike what lurks behind them when he thinks of the rest of Vox Machina, but not entirely the same, either. It dims somewhat but doesn't disappear entirely as he continues. He might take a bit to warm up to you, if only because I'm pretty sure he's never met one of your people in person before, but he's not going to start screaming for the guard.

[ihatepuns]

Shaun, Clarota echoes, committing the name to memory. He won't question again whether this is a good idea or not, but he does have some other questions. And he is a magic user?

He's assuming, if he sells magical items.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

Gilmore, Vax adds, aware of what Clarota might be doing. Shaun Gilmore.

A pause follows, in which he glances towards the doors of the keep, idly, and then -- well, he's not really sure where Clarota is, still, at this point, so he settles on just idly looking around the entrance hall as he continues. But yeah, he is. Not that I'm sure if he's more Allura's type or Tiberius's, but he's definitely not like Pike.

It's definitely arcane magic, not divine, even if he's not sure if Gilmore is a Wizard or a Sorcerer. He knows there's a difference, he's just not sure what it is, exactly. Has he mentioned he has no idea how this magic shit works?

[ihatepuns]

Clarota hesitates a moment, never mind that Vax can't currently see it. He stops moving for a moment, anyway. Does he have a preferred name? I've noticed many of you do.

He knows not everyone assigns nicknames like Vax apparently has - but he's also noticed that they call each other by shortened names, and if he's going to blend in, he needs to learn more social norms.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

Most of us call him Gilmore? Vax answers. A pause follows, a sense of amusement, albeit not at Clarota's expense, and then he continues, I'm not sure the others even know he has a first name. I only do because we've sort of -- talked at greater lengths a couple of times.

Flirted shamelessly. Gilmore is a very good-looking and, from what he's seen of the equipment he makes, very competent man. Both are definite turn-ons.

[ihatepuns]

You have a romantic interest in him, Clarota returns, and there's something amused in his own tone, now - and he's not laughing at Vax anymore than Vax was laughing at him, but he does think to make an attempt at teasing. It might not be a very good one, but he's trying.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

What are you, my sister? he shoots back, though he's too pleased that Clarota is trying and amused, himself, to be honestly bothered.

Never mind the fact that both fade after a beat and into something more serious, albeit a touch embarrassed. It's not that he has a problem with his attraction to Gilmore being public knowledge, it's more -- wow, man, could you get any more girl at a slumber party, braiding his hair and asking if he ~likes~ him?

But yeah, Shaun's -- I like him. Like that.

[ihatepuns]

No, I am Clarota, he returns, something in his tone that says he thinks Vax might have been hit in the head one time too many on the party's journey. He's actually joking with that, too, though it comes out dry enough that it might be harder to tell.

And sorry, Vax. He's used to living in a collective where everyone knows everything all the time. There's a reason he realizes he needs to work on social norms - and blurting out embarrassing things is likely going to happen a few more times.

(He does know better than to say that to Gilmore, so don't worry too much about that.)

He also doesn't actually respond to that beyond a hum of acknowledgement.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

If I knew how to do that mental slap thing, Vax starts after a long moment and once he's decided Clarota is probably joking, I swear I would give you the worst bitchslap of your life, right now.

He's kidding. Mostly. At least Clarota's got being a smart ass down pat. He'll fit in well; they're all assholes here.

[ihatepuns]

Clarota chuckles again, the sound still entirely in Vax's head. He's working on it. That was something of a lucky chance.

So how far is it to your friend's?

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

Not far, Vax promises, slipping back into seriousness, now. Just down the hill and over the river, past the wall into the Promenade and then a few blocks from there. It's a short walk, really, as convoluted as those directions make it seem. Though, we may want to try and find each other now or head out to the river so you can drop the spell or whatever.

While he knows where he's going, Clarota does not, after all, and he doesn't want to lose him on the way over.

[ihatepuns]

I will follow you out of the keep and drop the spell once we are away, he agrees, still hanging back from where he imagines Vax to be. If Vax leads the way outside, he'll follow and close the gate behind them, and then once they're not likely to startle some of the guards into shooting them when they reappear, he'll make them visible again.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

Alright, he answers, pushing away from the wall. His steps are near-silent as he heads out of the keep and onto the path leading towards the Promenade's walls. When he realizes that might be a problem, as far as Clarota knowing when to follow, he adds, C'mmon, Noodles.

[ihatepuns]

There's no reaction to the nickname this time besides a narrowing of the eyes that Vax can't see. Clarota glides along after him, waiting until they're a fair distance from the keep but not into traffic from the city before he drops the invisibility, falling more into step with Vax once he can see him again.

Watching him walk is a little odd, considering it looks like he should be making more noise than he actually is. He's aware of it, too, frowning a little - but he's also not sure what to do about it or how to make it less jarring.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

Vax notes it, too, but he doesn't seem as bothered by it as Clarota is. Mostly because, "You're running around with a guy who's in fifty pounds of leather and carrying, like, half a dozen daggers on his person."

Which is to say that he, at least, is obviously a rogue. If anyone else notices that Clarota doesn't seem to be making much in the way of noise, they might think he is, too. Considering the Clasp's presence in the city, it really wouldn't be a stretch. It also means that they'll most likely be ignored because the Clasp pays for their anonymity.

[ihatepuns]

That's enough to make Clarota relax again. When your friends found me was the farthest I had been from the collective. I have seen cities above ground through the memories collected by my former allies, but never for myself. I... He pauses a beat, struggling with his own emotions, struggling to find the words he wants. I fear that even with your ally's magical disguises, that I may draw untoward attention.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

"If anything gets too weird, I'll let you know," Vax promises. If he starts drawing the kind of attention neither of them want, he'll find an alley for them to duck down. He knows where most of them start and where they go. If he starts drawing the kind of attention neither of them want, he'll protect him. He really has no problem throwing around Vox Machina's connections to Uriel if it keeps his friends safe. Either way, it'll be alright.

"And if it helps any, you'll get used to it?" he adds after a moment, a beat of hesitation. He's not sure if that's a comfort or not, as far as Clarota's concerned.

[ihatepuns]

I would be grateful for that, thank you, Clarota returns. It's still a new sensation to him to be trusting someone outside of the collective - especially so many not of his kind. He trusts Vax for saving his life during their escape, and he has slightly more for Vex and Keyleth from their encounter behind the waterfall. He'll get there with everyone else. It's just going to take some time.

That is something of a comfort, yes. It is very different, here. And yes, he knows how much of an understatement that is.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

"Yeah," Vax answers. It's hard to tell whether that's a response to his gratitude or the idea that this is so much different than what Clarota is probably used to, however -- or, well, it is at first, anyway. When he continues after another pause, this one thoughtful, it might be a little clearer. "Speaking of. If you feel like you're getting overwhelmed and need to stop or be somewhere else or whatever, let me know. We'll figure something out."

Worse comes to worst, he can find a tavern with a back room that's accessible from an alley and they can hole up there for a bit, just the two of them.

[ihatepuns]

Clarota pauses again - and then nods once. Again, you have my gratitude.

The fact that Vax is actively worried about him, about the fact that he might need time away from the city they're walking into, is something he's never really experienced before meeting Vox Machina, and he's still adjusting to that. It's a little overwhelming by itself - but in a good way. He's just not sure what to do with it besides thanking him yet.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

"Yeah," Vax repeats, shrugging as if it's nothing. And really, in his mind, it is. He's just looking out for a friend, much as Clarota may or may not be comfortable with that title, who's no good with people. No big deal.

Their entrance into the city proper is no more grand, either, the guards on the walls barely sparing them a second glance as they head into the Promenade. Less fortunately, there seem to be plenty of people walking the streets, fliting between the established businesses and temporary carts that stretch on as far as the eye can see, shopping. Vax takes care to keep an eye on Clarota and anyone who might get close, both, though the latter is more about making sure his purse doesn't get lifted than it is making sure no one starts shit with Clarota. Like he told him, he really doesn't think he's going to have much of a problem, awkward in his disguise or not.

[ihatepuns]

Clarota is getting more comfortable with the idea of calling them 'friends', if just because he's not sure 'allies' is a strong enough word to describe his relationship with the rest of the party, now. It might still be a while before he calls any of them that himself, though. It's one more thing to adjust to.

Clarota looks a little wide-eyed as they moved through the city though it has more to do with everything there is to see here than it does him getting overwhelmed. He's okay so far, anyway, even if there are a couple of moments of wordless unease that filter into Vax's brain. They fade quickly at any rate.

For now, he's just sticking close to Vax and letting him lead the way to this other friend of his.

[dagger_dagger_dagger]

Vax catches that and tries to offer him comfort in return, as best he can, not being the one in control of the whole mindlink thing. It's okay. He's doing well. They're almost there. Let him know if he needs to stop, despite all that. And so on and so forth.

Thankfully, as promised, it's really not that far to Gilmore's. Sooner rather than later, they're standing outside it and just a second after that, Vax is parting the curtains and beads to let them in. He glances back at Clarota as they enter, to make sure he's still following and, with some amusement, to judge his reaction to the exterior and interior both, and then heads for the counter at the far end. Sherri, Gilmore's half-elf assistant, looks up from a book she has spread out on the counter, obviously bored. Her attentions don't seem to linger on Clarota for long or for more than his height.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah, hi. I was wondering if Shaun was in?" It didn't occur to him until now to think that Gilmore might not be.

If Sherri has an answer, however, it dies on her lips as Gilmore himself practically bursts out of the back room, his robes and the beads of the curtain dividing the shop from his living space swirling around him. He grins widely, arms spreading wider as he makes his way around the counter, and pulls Vax into an immediate hug. Vax returns it wholeheartedly and as they step back, Gilmore practically chirps, "Vax'ildan. It's been far too long." He pauses, finally seeming to notice Clarota, and looks between the two of them, smile unfaded, before continuing, "You going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Yeah." A beat. "Yeah." And he waves Clarota closer. "Shaun Gilmore, Clarota. Clarota, Shaun Gilmore."

[ihatepuns]

Clarota stops outside the shop, looking it over, some of the amazement clouded with puzzlement as he looks back to Vax. There is cloth on the outside? he asks even while he's moving to follow Vax into the shop a little hesitantly, hands coming up closer to his chest. He tilts his head to consider Sherri for a moment, even after she looks away from him.

Gilmore's arrival and greeting of Vax leads to him practically recoiling, startled by the wizard's enthusiasm. He looks even more unsure at the introduction, looking between Vax and Gilmore again before he takes the smallest step forward. He's not actually sure what to say, though, still wary, and just settles for nodding.