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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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.

Vex narrows her eyes curiously at her brother, not sure what he's planning - but then she just nods. She recognizes it's something he doesn't want to mention in front of Clarota, and she'll ask him about it later. "We still need to find a cobbler. You could do with some boots," she tells Clarota, who looks down at his feet and nods.

"Alright," he agrees - and somehow seems less hesitant about it, now. It's possible he's warming up to all this.

"And I think we may have mentioned it before," Vax starts, falling back from his sister, now that she knows where he's going or will be, if she looks for him later and can't find him, "but if you can think of anything you need, or want ... " They can probably find it here in Emon.

"I don't know," he admits. "I made this" - he gestures to the top of his head, to his metal cap that is currently hidden by the illusion - "out of need, but your world is very different than mine. I don't know yet what I might need to live here and be one of your team other than this." He lifts his hand to indicate the ring - he knows people are afraid of his kind, and he knows that will only cause Vox Machina trouble. As far as things he might personally need to use his magic better or to enhance his own comfort? He has no frame of reference for that yet.

"Well, just keep it in mind, yeah?" If he thinks of something that'll make his life easier at any point, there are plenty of places they can look, even if they're on the road. If they think of something that might make his life easier, they can put forth suggestions, too.

"Again, you have my thanks," he tells them both, and Vex reaches out to pat him on the arm.

"You're one of us," she tells him before she drops her hand. "Let's get these packed up and on to finding you some boots." She pulls away, carrying their selections up to the woman at the front desk, to pay and have them sent to Grayskull.

"What she said," Vax answers, nudging his sister with his shoulder. He offers Clarota what he imagines to be the mental impression of the same nudge, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. Whether or not it translates, however, is up for debate. This isn't his area of expertise any more than magic is.

Vex shrugs into the nudge - and Clarota blinks at him. A moment later, Vax gets the feeling of a poke at the back of his head, though Clarota's expression stays even.

"Should we press on, then?" he offers once Vex turns away from the clerk.

"Only if this isn't getting too overwhelming," she offers, and Clarota shakes his head.

"I'm alright." He really is relaxing into all this as they go, especially now that he has a reliable means of hiding.

Vax, meanwhile, not quite flails a little, not having expected that. An amused, and more importantly pleased, look follows as he glances back at Clarota, and then a sour one, preemptively leveled at his sister. He's not crazy, you're crazy. He didn't just jump at apparently nothing.

"On to the cobbler, then," Vax reaffirms, when his expression levels out again and as he heads for the door.

Vex does raise an eyebrow at Vax, though she doesn't actually ask him if he's quite alright, there. It's heavily implied.

The eyebrow comes down again as he suggests moving on, and she nods, turning to lead the way toward the door. Trinket rises from his position at the corner of the shop to follow, Vex and bear both ignoring the few yelps as people suddenly notice and get out of the way of the bear walking down the street.

Vex leads the way to a shop they've used before that has a display of boots in its small window. "Here we are," she tells the others as they approach. "Wait out here for us, dear," she tells Trinket, who grumbles at her but again wanders off to flop down in a corner.

This shop is smaller than the other and more cramped. There's a small area at the front of the shop with a few chairs and a table bearing some measuring instruments, along with an odd wooden stool, one side of it sloped at a gentle angle. There's a counter in the center of the shop, the bottom of which bears a glass case with a few pairs of boots set in an attractive presentation. Beyond the counter is a space that is clearly a workshop, with heavy worktables covered in various items used in shoemaking. The walls are covered in boxes all the way to the ceiling, all the boxes bearing numbers scrawled in thick black ink. Past the work area is a door, and from behind the door is the sound of someone rustling around.

On the counter sits a bell and a sign that says "ring for service".

Vax hesitates as they enter the shop, taking a moment to get a quick read of the place, the merchandise and exits, and so on. He catches back up quickly, with a handful of bigger steps, fast enough to beat his sister to the counter, to ring the bell. He shoots her and Clarota a look over his shoulder, that done, as if it was all a game, the goal to reach the button first, and he just won.

"We should definitely be able to find something here," he decides, more seriously, as the look fades.

Vex was headed for the counter, too, and she sputters a little as Vax blows past her. She narrows her eyes at him slightly for beating her to it - and then nods. "I have before, anyway," she agrees.

"Be right there!" a deep, heavily accented male voice calls from the back and then can be heard telling someone else to "get out there". A moment later, the door opens and a half-elf emerges, making his way through the work area to the counter, offering them a smile.

"Oh, hello," he tells them, and his isn't the same voice as before. His accent is different, his voice a little higher pitched with a breathier quality. He has dark skin and eyes, his silver hair hanging in short braids that come to just below his ears. "Can I help you?"

Vax isn't particularly surprised that the voices don't match, all things considered, and so he rolls with it, popping one shoulder in a shrug as he leans into the counter. "I hope so." A beat. "We need a pair of good walking boots for our friend here."

He glances over his shoulder at Clarota, indicating him.

The man looks over at Clarota - and blinks at his height, though his attention returns to his feet after a moment. "We should be able to find you something, yeah. You know what size you need?"

Clarota looks between the clerk and Vax. "No?" he answers after a moment, and the clerk blinks at him, at the sound of his voice in his head.

"Um.... right. Let me..." he turns away, looking a little startled as he moves to pick up one of the measuring devices.

"You might want to see if you can't kind of do that without ... " When the clerk turns around, Vax mimes taking off a shoe. "He's a little weird about feet."

Or, you know, with the illusion in place, it'll look like Clarota has his boots on still whether he does or doesn't. They can distract the clerk long enough for Clarota to actually get his off, hide them under something, and let the guy take an accurate measurement, all while letting him just think that Clarota is weird. Or that his feet smell horribly. Or something.

It's a real shame Shaun doesn't do mundane boots.

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

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