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

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

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?

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"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.

"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?"

"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.

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.

"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.

"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."

"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.

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.

"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.

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.

"You can still let us know if we come up with something that you decide you hate," he answers with a shrug. "Otherwise, yeah, you're in good hands."

Vax might buy him something small and ridiculous-looking, just because he can, but it won't be a whole outfit and he won't expect Clarota to actually wear it. It'll just be something he can roll his eyes at (and maybe, more importantly, get a smile out of) every time he opens his closet.

I know, he returns, unblinking, and he means it. He might be unsure of a lot of things right now, but he definitely already trusts Vox Machina. It would be hard not to considering how many times they saved his life in the Underdark - and all while knowing what he was and without any reason to trust him.

"Just checking," Vax tells him ever gently, before turning back to the robes. He looks a few of them over, not sold on anything he sees, immediately, before continuing on to a display of accessories, nearby. He may or may not be looking for a belt with an octopus or squid on it. Like he said, something small.

When Vax turns away, Clarota watches for a few more moments before he, too, turns to the side to look around. He trusts the twins to find something for him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to have a look himself, to see what the shop has on offer and if anything else does catch his eye.

When Vax doesn't immediately find something he likes on display, he looks up, trying to find the shopkeeper. When he doesn't immediately spot her, he makes a face and glances back at Clarota, trying to decide how comfortable either of them would be, if he left him alone for a second, and never mind the fact that his sister is still right there. Despite that, though, despite the fact that Clarota is an adult and doesn't need constant supervision or the fact that he could just yell for the shopkeeper, he gives up on his terrible little idea, if only for the time being. He'll come back later -- or commission one of the local smiths for a belt buckle. Either way.

Either way, he drifts back towards Clarota and Vex, both, leaning over the latter's shoulder as he comes up behind her. "Find anything?" He might be trying to make her jump. That will be at least as entertaining as finding Clarota something octopus themed, he thinks.

Vex does startle, but mostly because she has most of her attention on two sets of robes in front of her. They're both deep green, but one has a slight gradient to the color and more details in the embroidery. "Mmhm," she hums like she didn't just jump, trying not to give him the satisfaction, and reaches for the nicer of the two, to add it to the ones she's already holding.

"Here," she says, simply, and turns to pass off the ones she's already picked out, all but throwing them at him before she turns back to the shelf. "I've been trying to stay away from anything..." She pauses a beat. "It won't do him any favors if we have him looking like he should be ruling over a dungeon." She reaches out to swat at a deep red sleeve that she rejected earlier.

"Have you?" she asks, glancing over her shoulder at Vax as she considers the rack in front of her. "What else can you think of that he'll need? Because it's not as though he's ever going to ask us for anything."

Vax grins, content in the knowledge that he did startle her despite how she's acting, though the expression is short-lived, turning to surprise of his own as she thrusts an armful of robes at him. He takes a moment, trying to get a handle on them so they don't just start sliding out of his grip, and when he's managed, flashes his sister a brief, sour face.

When that, too, leaves him, he shakes his head. "Nothing's stood out." A beat. "Though, he could use a good pair of boots." They do a lot of travelling, after all, and he imagines Clarota's boots weren't made for walking, consider all that hovering. He doesn't want to find out, too late, that he can't keep that up for miles, and for his sub-par boots to become a problem.

Don't look at her like that, Vax, you deserved it.

She ignores the look entirely, still considering the robes. "Right, yes," she agrees, glancing over her shoulder. "We may have to go somewhere else for that." She hasn't seen any boots in here, though it's possible they're on the other side of the store or something. They can ask the clerk once she's done here.

Speaking of, she looks at the rack and then to the load in Vax's arms. "I think this is a good start," she decides after a moment. "Let's let him look through them." She pauses a beat, just realizing Clarota isn't immediately in sight. "Where is he?"

"We'll ask," Vax decides, unknowingly echoing his sister's thoughts. That can wait, though, if only because, yes, they should let Clarota go through what they've assembled. Even if he thinks he has no opinion on the matter, again, something might come as a gut instinct, and to that end, as he turns and can't immediately find Clarota, either, he calls, "Oi, Noodles!"

He's not sure he'll be able to discern a direction from a mental slap, if and when he responds with one, but at least they'll know that Clarota is within earshot, still. And maybe he'll get the hint that they're looking for him and wander back over.

Vax gets back the mental equivalent of narrowed eyes, though not an actual slap. He appears around the end of a row a moment later, looking between the twins and then to the pile of robes Vax is holding. "That... seems like a lot," he says after a moment, seeming doubtful.

"I pulled a few options. You don't have to take or even like them all," Vex assures him gently.

Clarota nods, and she turns away to take the first one from Vax, holding it up and eyeing it and Clarota for a moment to make sure it looks as though it will fit - and then tilts her head, prompting him for his opinion.

Clarota pauses for a moment, looking it over - and then nods again. "I like the trim," he decides after a moment - and then seems a little startled by himself. Having his own opinion is still new, after living most of his life in the collective.

Vex smiles at him approvingly and then frowns as she turns around, looking for somewhere to set it while they keep looking, finally settling for hanging it sideways on the rack next to them.

Vax, too, looks pleased, and spurred on by his reaction, fights with the rest of his pile for a moment before he gets the corner of the one in hand. He tugs it halfway free carefully, afraid of losing his handle on the whole thing, and threads it through his fingers, holding it out so Clarota can get a look at it.

"What about this one?" He'll be happy, even if he decides he doesn't like it, so long as he decides.

Clarota tilts his head, looking the robe over - and then reaches out to rub the cloth between his fingers. "Maybe something less rough," he decides after a moment - and then looks pleased with himself again. He doesn't quite smile, but there is a lightening in his expression.

Vex, to the side, abruptly coughs as she takes the robe from her brother to put back on the rack, hiding both the fact that she almost laughed and the amusement plain on her face.

Edited 2018-08-19 09:23 (UTC)

"Your turn," Vax tells his sister, turning to hold the pile out to her. He's not expecting her to try and take the whole thing from him, however, more he wants her to pick one she likes that she think Clarota might. He's delighted by this game they're apparently playing, now, no matter how funny his sister thinks it or him or Clarota is.

Vex turns back around, having pulled herself together, to reach for the stack, to find one to present to Clarota. Again, he looks it over - and this time, he nods, declaring the color to his liking.

They work their way through the pile like that, going back and forth until they have about a dozen set aside. Vex goes back through them again, checking the size and length. Finally, they have seven picked out to take to the clerk.

"Did you see anything else in here?" Vex asks as they head back toward the counter, and Clarota shakes his head.

"Those will do for now. Thank you."

"I haven't seen anything I need," Vax answers, shaking his head, too. There's still the issue of finding Clarota a good pair of boots, but he hasn't seen anything like that, here. The robes are good, though -- a good start.

"I might swing by a blacksmith later, though," he continues, lower now, leaning into his sister. "I've got something in mind." From the look he gives her, it's nothing serious, and really, it isn't. He's still sold on finding something octopus themed to gift Clarota with, as a joke.

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

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