strangetrip | [EP] The Worst Birthday

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[EP] The Worst Birthday

Of course, everybody had birthdays - even if they didn't know what day it was on the calendar, that didn't stop someone having them. Vax'ildan hadn't honestly thought much about it, until Joanna had got talking when to plant what one afternoon amongst the herbs in her garden. Seasons, months, weeks, days... They were different in this world from what Vax knew. Nevertheless, when he stopped to do a bit of his own math, he thought it must be very near his own birthday in Exandria.

Their birthday. His, by only a couple of minutes, and then Vex'ahlia's.

It seemed a stupid thing to get hung up about. But once it (she) had wormed its way into his brain, his heart, he couldn't get it (her) out, and it became a crushing reminder that Vex could be lost to him forever. He didn't have much in the way of distractions, and the more he tried to forget about it, the worse it had got until he sank into a drowning sulk. He avoided everyone and everything including his mirror-matched room, effectively vanishing for a few days on end, until gravely admitting that the only way out might very well be through.

Which is how he ended up sitting in the one corner of a booth in the cafe, armor exchanged for a simple sleeveless tunic and loose pants from Songrun, staring at the empty seat across from him with arms folded on the table in a bit of a hunch.

"Get us a drink," he told the passers-by mirthlessly, without so much as turning to look at them or stopping to count how many he'd had already. Did it matter? "It's our birthday."

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"Bingo. Within a month, he had his old buddies over at the house and they were talking about...oh, knocking over a bank or something. There was a theme." Steph rolled her eyes. "You know, at first, I was actually surprised. But that didn't last long. I thought...not this time. I was done with it. So I called the police and told them his whole plan."

She sucked a bit of frosting off her finger. "They blew me off. 'The tip line isn't for pranks, kid.' So, yeah, that wasn't going to work. And I thought about reaching out to Batman, get him to stop but Dad was small time. Not really in the Bat's league. Which basically left...me."

"That's why you did the whole...dress-up justice," he said softly. Vax didn't mean it to tease. He meant... That it made a lot more sense to him, when she explained it in that way.

"So you put on your mask and armor, and... What did you do then?"

"Yep. I mean, well, armor is probably a strong word. I've mentioned that I was a gymnast? So basically it was a full body leo." The incredibly flimsy costume that had been the first Spoiler uniform was probably slightly better than being naked but not much. Still, her first Nomex-Kevlar suit had been a long way off.

"Anyway, I figured out where they were planning their heists and did my best to leave clues to lead the police to stop them. Didn't work, but it did get Robin and Bats attention. They helped me stop them and got Dad another tour at Blackgate."

She decided to leave out the bit about the sulfuric acid and having to be talked out of killing her dad. This was a fun story. "And that was the illustrious beginning of the Spoiler."

"Sounds pretty dangerous," he pointed out conspiratorially, before cramming the last of his cupcake into his mouth. "Spfthlfth."

She laughed and wiped a bit of crumbs off his mouth. "Dangerous, stupid, but totally worth it for the look on his face when he realized who had ruined his plans."

The really dangerous stuff came later.

"And Spoiler was totally a good name. Batman liked it."

"Well, sure. It's got more spunk than 'Ruiner,'" he agreed vaguely. "D'you... Still have the...thing? You know. The outfit."

"The original? No. I do still have one of the later designs back at home. The only thing I have with me here is my current uniform."

She polished off the rest of her cupcake. "Want to see it?"

"Yes," he said readily. "I very much want to see it. But really... The real question is if I have to get up from this seat to do that. Because that is maybe a dangerous thing to do right now. For me."

"You'd have to come to my room for it. I'm not doing a Batgirl fashion show for the whole Inn. Secret identity, remember?" Steph smiled. "Right now, it's probably better if we get you back to your room to sleep this off. You okay with me helping you or should we call Percy?"

It took his sodden head a moment to work out that she wasn't actually inviting him back to her place right now. Which was good. Because of reasons.

"I know you're, all... Tough, and strong, and limber as hell from the sound of it, aside from being beautiful," Vax suggested. "But how much of me d'you think you can carry, is the question. Because I am... So drunk right now," he informed her emphatically.

He so very was and remembering that was a really good idea when he was throwing around words like beautiful. "I swing from rooftops on a grapple line. I can handle it."

She slid out from the bench and offered him her hands. "Want to give it a try?"

Vax smiled up at her, fully aware even now of what a terrible idea it probably was. "Yeah, I do," he admitted, reaching out and clasping her fingers. He sort of shoved himself in that general direction, and leaned more than a little into his grip on either of her hands as he climbed onto his feet.

Steph hauled him up easily enough. Like Cass, he was more wire than weight. The trick came from trying to keep his frame from going to noodles. Or at least making the noodles all head in the right direction.

With a bit of adjustment, she got her shoulder under his arm and braced him against her side. "Okay, one foot at a time."

He did as she urged, doing the thing with his legs to make them go, though Vax would have weaved too much for it to work without her support. "My room is really far away," he felt the need to point out. Not far away for normal circumstances, obviously, but for him, right now - it might as well be in Marquet. "And there's even stairs."

"I'm sorry it's really far away. But you're so kind to me. Always have been. I'm going to try extra hard not to get sick on you," he babbled as they made their way.

"I will drop you where you stand if you even look like you might." She wasn't serious, of course. She'd been covered in a lot worse than a little vomit. "Don't you have an elevator? Or, crap, you don't. Okay, fireman's carry, it is."

There were bottles of water in the lobby, probably Caroline's doing, so Steph snagged two with her free hand.

Vax just made a slanted smile, not especially blaming her if she did decide to drop him after all.

"...I still miss her like breathing, is the worst part." He didn't say who he meant, as she'd been on his mind so intently throughout the day that it seemed obvious to him. "I still don't know... What to do. About her. Without her."

"One day at a time, and don't give up." They crossed the property slowly - straight lines were a little tricky. "I know you miss her. And that's okay. You should miss her. You love her."

"More than anything," he determined after a long moment. "No matter what happened, we always had each other. And Vex had Percy, and I had Keyleth, and we could always see one another when we needed, so I thought... After all the dragons were done with, the other loose ends, maybe it would be okay, if we went off and did different things from there, you know? If I let her have the life she's always wanted, not just what she thought she needed to do for my sake. But this is not that."

They'd nearly reached the building and Steph slowed to a halt, leaning them both against the wall so she could face him. "Have you ever been apart from her this long? Or...had anyone else than her that you were this close to?"

The wall was nice. Very nice. Stable and solid and he could lean on it and no one would tip over including him. "Never more than a day or two. Not since we were born," he answered as best he could. He thought of trying to avoid looking Stephanie in the eyes, but it seemed useless, inevitable, and he'd gone and done it already by then. His eyes were dry, if red and swollen, but more mournful than a child whose puppy had been run over by a wagon.

"Vox Machina, they're... We're a family now, the kind you make for yourself. But not like me and Vex. No one has ever been like Vex, but... Vex'ahlia."

Steph dropped her hand from his waist to lace her fingers with his. "It wounds amazing, having someone that close. I'm an only child, so I know that I don't...really get it. I wish I could. I wish I could meet her."

She didn't know what separation meant but she recognized the hurt in his eyes. She'd felt it herself - a dozen times a day, a hundred days - when she'd realized that she couldn't keep her child. It was the feeling of losing a piece of yourself, of having that piece somewhere in the world that you could never see or touch.

Time healed, but she remembered the hurt.

"Does it help to talk about her?"

"Yyyyyes," Vax suggested, but reluctantly, eyes trailing to where her fingers had got caught with his. "And also...no. Does that make any sense at all?"

She didn't answer immediately, thinking about the question seriously. "I think so. Talking about it makes missing her more real. It's easier to keep it all inside."

Stephanie took a breath, then smiled deliberately. "Well, if it ever feels like it would help, I like hearing you talk about her. So...feel free."

"Well, I like... That you like... Hearing me talk about her." He squeezed her hand gently. "So thanks for the offer."

She shrugged lightly. "Ready to get moving again? Or am I going to have to carry you up the stairs?"

[EP] The Worst Birthday

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