[EP] The Worst Birthday

[st_abby]

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."

Comments

[st_ockandbarrel]

Percy hardly had a Vax in trouble sense - it would likely never stop going off if he did - but he could do math as well as anyway. So it surprised him not in the least to see a wreck of a man collapsed into a booth with an impressive number of drinks before him considering the hour.

Because it was still a touch early, Percy brought a pitcher of water and carafe of coffee along as he joined Vax in the booth. He didn't ask for permission. This was a family matter.

He added two shots of his favorite whiskey to the table. "To Vex'ahlia."

[st_unning]

Alcuin stopped, and looked down at Vax. It seemed that he had had a few drinks already.

"Happy birthday," he said. "I can have one with you if you'd like." It was the least he could do, and he would also hate to see Vax drink himself into passing out, particularly alone.

[st_abby]

More than anyone, Percy had the right to join him. Which was funny, when Vax woozily thought about it. Percy. Vex. Death and smoke monsters and titles, the whole fucking lot. And here they were now, just the two of them.

He reached for the shot glass, hoisting it enthusiastically at Percy and only sloshing a drop or two along the way. "For Vex'ahlia," he agreed, his voice coming out a touch hoarse. "Too good, for either of us... But she wanted us anyway," he chased the remark by knocking back the whiskey. "Ohhh," he exhaled the alcoholic fumes.

[st_abby]

"...Alcuin?" Vax looked up at him as if surprised to see him there, which he sort of was. His eyes were red-rimmed, a bit bloodshot, but at least they were dry by now. "I mean, sure. Yes. Have one with me."

[st_unning]

"I've been learning to mix drinks," Alcuin said. "Why don't I make us both something?" He put a hand lightly on Vax's shoulder. "Something sweet, perhaps? Do you trust me?"

[st_upidgravity]

Steph slid into the booth next to Vax and slung her arm over his shoulders to pull him into a one-armed hug. "So, what are we drinking?" Though cheerful, there was underlying sympathy in her tone. She wasn't going to judge his need to blot out the significance of the day.

[st_rigaetsica]

Vax didn't talk to Joanna about his twin sister often. Between his pain at missing her, and Joanna's of missing her children, it was maybe kinder to stick to distractions. But she couldn't watch him suffer alone like this, on their birthday.

Constance stopped her on her way from the bar to Vax's booth, shooting a glance his way, giving Joanna a plate of handpies, and asking "Try to get him to eat something?"

Sliding beside him into the booth, Joanna set both beer and food in front of Vax. Taking a sip from her own bottle of beer, after a moment, she said softly. "I remember Freya's first birthday apart from Frederick. I am so sorry, Vax."

[st_abby]

"I... Will drink whatever you put in front of me right now," Vax told him, reaching to squeeze Alcuin's fingers. He smiled, of a sort, but it looked as pained as anything. "All of it."

[st_abby]

"Everything," Vax informed her. He accepted the hug, letting her pull him in close, but he tried to resist the urge to lean on Steph. Of course Steph would find him like this, looking pathetic. "I'm sorry. I'm drunk. I know you don't do drunk, because of... You don't have to," he rambled.

[st_abby]

It was ironic, Vax had started to muse to himself. This whole pity party. It was mourning, is what it was. The Raven Queen's Champion in mourning. That was...something.

He stared at the beer and food that magically appeared before him on the table, but he didn't reach for them. He didn't move until Joanna's words managed to wind their way into his sluggish brain a moment later, but he turned to look at her intently once they had. "That's right," he reminded himself aloud. "Your children were...are... They're twins." He'd honestly forgotten, so deep into his self-indulgent funk.

[st_unning]

Alcuin's expression softened, and he nodded. "Don't go anywhere," he said.

He returned a few minutes later with two drinks. He set one of them in front of Vax and kept the other for himself as he slid into a chair beside him. His intention had been to make Vax's drink delicious but weak on the alcohol. His own was a bit stronger.

"There, have a taste," he said.

[st_upidgravity]

"Because my parents are addicts." She rested her head on his shoulder and snitched one of his many drinks. "This is a special occasion. I can have a drink if I want one to celebrate my buddy's birthday."

She sniffed the drink, decided it wasn't as awful as she'd expected and took a swallow. It burned all the way down. "Oh dear sweet baby Jesus on clouds."

[st_ockandbarrel]

Percy tossed the whiskey back as well, struck by a sudden memory of this same good burn shared with Vex in rather different circumstances. That had been after the Courage was gone and long before morning had arrived.

"You know when I fell in love with her?" Percy asked, setting the glass down carefully and refilling it from his flask.

[st_abby]

Vax just stared at him, surprised at the... At Percy. He held on to his empty glass, but hadn't got around to putting it back down yet.

"No," Vax admitted quietly.

[st_ockandbarrel]

"Neither does she." Percy smiled, one of his 'I'm a complete asshole' smiles that made even his closest friends wonder why they kept him around.

"And I think she deserves to hear it first, don't you? So. Let's get blind drunk."

[st_abby]

It was really disarming, that thing she did. The easy affection, the tucking herself up against his side. If this had been Tal'Dorei, he would have been suspicious of it, would have wondered who she was working for or what her angle was, who he might hurt or offend or compromise with a woman curled over his shoulder. Here, there wasn't room for conspiracy. It was just... Nice.

"Do all of those words together mean something good? Or is it bad? They. The words, you know what I mean."

[st_upidgravity]

Steph eyed the drink like it was poison and wondered if a Diet Coke could be convinced to wander her way.

"Um, which words? The sweet baby Jesus bit? Um, okay, so Jesus is a...what's the word. When God becomes human? He's that in Christianity, which is the religion that most people where I come from either follow or are familiar with. And there's a whole thing with him having been a baby and growing up. Plus, there is all this art that depicts him as a baby, but in Heaven, so there's tons of clouds everywhere. So, you take a little dash of blasphemy, add in the Baby Jesus image and boom, you've got yourself a nice original curse."

She sipped the drink again and winced. "And in this case, it's bad. How do you still have taste buds?"

[st_abby]

That fucking self-satisfied look. That was Percy's perverse charm, there. That was what Vex loved, the terrible cleverness of him, the pride.

"Percival," Vax'ildan murmured after a moment of shock. "I love you. You know I do, truly. But I'm also getting drunk enough where I'm tempted to dive over the table and throttle you." Vax pushed his empty glass at the other man. "Pour."

[st_ockandbarrel]

Percival -- mindful of the fact that. at this distance, Vax could likely turn him into a pincushion before he fell off the bench -- poured.

Another shot, and another memory. "Is this your master plan for the whole day?"

[st_abby]

"Oh, no. No." Vax matched him the shot, closing his eyes a moment to steady himself after, feeling the color gradually rising into his face. "I'm bound to pass out before the whole of the day is through. That's kind of the point."

[st_abby]

Vax had no idea what she'd just said, but he decided it was adorable. Really a bit like Kiki when she'd get going on a downhill tangent of awkward.

"Don't have them, don't need them," Vax explained. "My tongue is fuzzy, and I like it that way."

[st_ingofthehundred]

Kash hadn't been with Vox Machina often enough or for long enough to develop a Jenga-sense, but Z hadn't answered his Sending again, no one needed healing, and nothing needed killing. A drink, or several, were all the day had to offer.

When he spotted Vax in the Cafe, he simply assumed that the rogue had come to a similar conclusion. He'd grabbed a pitcher from the pretty barmaid (who looked a little on the sad side, he thought) and two glasses and gone to join the guy without giving thought to the slumped over figure.

The words arrested him on several counts and while he empathized (Z was a sister as much as a lover), Vax didn't need him to coddle him. "Suck it up, Hot Dog. At least you can celebrate your nameday without remembering a wife you didn't want."

[st_ockandbarrel]

"Ah, that explains why you've started early." Percy gave some thought to this while he poured another round. On one hand, it may have been more merciful to allow Vax the ability to blot out his pain today.

On the other, mercy was not a crime of which Percy had often been accused.

"A charming tribute to her," he observed and raised the shot glass.

[st_upidgravity]

"It reminds me of being high on morphine. But with slightly less bleeding. And on purpose."

She pushed the drink away and surveyed the rest of the table. "Do any of these taste any better?"

[st_abby]

Vax looked at the suspiciously sophisticated concoction, in stark contrast to his brooding mood. "What is-" But then he stopped himself.

"No, nevermind. This is me trusting you," he swallowed dutifully.