[log] A Perfectly Lovely, Romantic Picnic on the Beach...Mostly

[st_ubby]

Vex and Percy take time for themselves in a quiet little spot away from the inn.



The blanket Vex pulled from her Bag of Colding was in the inn's signature blinding pink, but she barely noticed, looking out over the surf, listening to the horses soft whickers mixing with the cries of gulls, and breathing in the sea air before turning to wink at Percy. She could already tell, going for a picnic had been an excellent idea. And what about how she'd predicted the location of the beach within an easy ride based on the presence and flight patterns of sea birds closer to the inn? That was good.

"Ignis was otherwise occupied, I'm afraid. So I had to rely on Chef Chicken to put together the basket," she explained, laying the blanket out over the sand so she could continue unpacking.

The brisk salt air reminded him of the past, of missions begun and fulfilled. Percy tugged his jacket off, folding it twice before setting it into the other bag and moving to help Vex with the blanket. "A little like being back in Scanlan's mansion," he observed. "Though hopefully without a spectral cow for Grog to punch." As the blanket settled in place, he stepped closer to Vex and pressed a kiss to her temple. "You found a good spot."

"What's the use in being a ranger if I can't find the best spots for a romantic picnic?" Before Percy, romantic picnics hadn't really been an option for Vex, and before they'd been brought here, they'd hardly had the time.

Settling on the blanket, leaving an obvious spot for Percy beside her, she pulled a bottle of wine and corkscrew from the bag and offered them to him to open. "I thought about scouting out ahead of time, but it's more fun discovering it together."

"And this way, I won't be out of range if you need to call Jenga." Percy settled himself on the blanket next to her and took the wine, opening it as requested. He tested the end of the cork with a finger and found it acceptable moist. "Who is Trinket spending the day with today?" he asked, gesturing to where she'd usually be wearing Raven's Slumber as he reached for the curious clear "plastic" wine glasses the Inn had provided.

"Uncle Vax." Her brother and Trinket adored each other, and it was good for both of them to have time together. Mostly. She shuddered to think what pink horrors Vax would subject poor Trinket to before they got back, but it was an uncle's prerogative to spoil his nephew, right? "I thought we could use some time just the two of us today. And also, should probably make sure there aren't sea monsters around before letting Trinket go fishing. But mostly, alone time with no schedule or outside demands."

"That is a question. We haven't fought a massive monster in months." Percy gave the apparently endless blue ocean a thoughtful look. There was no activity on the waves, nothing that indicated movement below nor ships above. But that meant nothing. "Winter's Crest is coming up soon. It would be a good time for all of us to gather for a dinner."

"Oh, we should. That would be lovely." She glanced over the variety of chicken-based foods she'd pulled from the bag. "Maybe we'll talk to Ignis about the food. We could use time together, all of us. Especially since both my brother and the good Brother Kash have been more avoidy than usual lately." That was another reason she'd left Trinket to look after Vax. She'd been trying to give them the chance to come to her first, but as that didn't seem to be happening yet, some bear time to soften him up for her approach. She still had to track down Kash too, the way she'd promised him she would.

"Yes, I happened to see Vax the other day and he appeared to be in one of his darker moods." Percy loved and trusted Vex completely. But he also knew that when it came to her brother, she was extraordinarily soft-hearted. She'd be unlikely to see things the same way. "A family dinner would help. It may help with missing absent friends as well."

Percy wasn't telling her everything. She knew that look, that you're too understanding look he got sometimes, when it came to Vax. Or, at least as often, to Percy. And absent friends, that was... Well, obviously they missed their friends: most especially Vax, Keyleth, and Kash, Zahra. Still, her forehead furrowed into the beginnings of a frown. "Is there anything I should know?"

"The wine is quite good," Percy responded blandly, taking a drink to emphasize his point. It wasn't a lie. The wine was nicely crisp. It would complement the chicken very well. The Chicken Chef might have just one tool but he was very adept with it. "Honestly, I think we take for granted how available each of us are."

Definitely not telling her everything. Hm. Well. Vex took a sip of the wine, nodding, because he hadn't lied about the wine. "Percy, darling," she began sweetly, before her gaze sharpened and voice flattened, "What did you do?"

Percy's beloved was many things but harmless was not one of them, especially with that tone. It would be best not to press her patience. "Your brother has been brooding again. Missing Keyleth, primarily, which obviously, I understand. I offered him a few suggestions on how he might redirect his attention in more productive ways. You know, I don't think he's been eating. He'd looking even thinner than usual."

Vax had looked a bit thinner, she realized. If he wasn't eating, this was worse than she had thought. Maybe with Trinket, who expected to be spoiled with delicious treats when with his Uncle Vax, he'd eat something. "What sorts of suggestions? I'm not sure locking himself in a workshop and building delightfully clever devices would be as helpful for my brother as it is for you," Vex said, as she tried to puzzle out for herself what advice Percy might have given. She had a sinking feeling from Percy's demeanor whatever this brood was of Vax'ildan's, it had more to do with the very present Steph than the still absent Keyleth.

"He misses her and feels very confused about that. You know how he tends to overthink things when that happens. He's just not sure about his relationships here. I pointed out that if he had something else to focus on, he might feel less confused." See? Very reasonable. There was no reason for anyone to be upset. "We didn't get so far as to come up with a hobby. You know him best, maybe you can suggest something for him."

"Something else to focus on than Stephanie, you mean." Vex didn't sigh, but she felt like it. Meddling in her brother's love life was both her prerogative as twin sister and best friend, and something she both did and didn't want to think about. Besides, she liked Steph. "She's not some trollop trying to come between Vax and Keyleth, Percy. And we all know how much my brother loves and misses Keyleth."

Percy disagreed. "We do. And Keyleth deserves better than us allowing Vax to have his head turned by a..." Vex wouldn't like the term jezebel, "person that he's known only for a few months. I think it does a disservice to everyone involved if we don't intervene."

This time Vex did sigh, and set aside her plastic wineglass. Vax, Percy, even Kash - it was a wonder they'd survived without cutting their own limbs off before she got here. Metaphorically speaking. "'Intervene'? And just how did you intervene with my 'dumb as bricks when it comes to girls' brother?" In other words, what and how much damage am I going to have to figure out how to fix? "And remember, if there's any head-turning going on, Vax isn't just some object of feminine charms, unless you believe Stephanie has actual magic she's using on him, which is a different thing altogether." That was another they they all knew. Vax was far more susceptible to charm magic than he should've been.

Percy was not at all sure how he'd become the bad guy in this situation. Other than always being, on some level, the bad guy. Someone had to take the "evil" actions for the greater good and Percy was well aware that he was that person. "We don't know what she's capable of. She's not from any world like ours. She knows that he has a serious relationship with one of our best friends, and still persists in...whatever it is that she's doing. The right thing to do would be for her to withdraw. Since she obviously won't, we should take steps to separate Vax from her influence. What if Keyleth shows up and finds him cozying up to that girl? How would she feel? How would he?"

The problem was, Percy wasn't entirely wrong, and it was something Vex worried about too. With Kash it was easier. Zahra would want him to be happy, and encourage him to find happiness with whomever could give it, whether Kash thought he should get to be happy and loved or not. And if Z showed up, she'd either join in or share or have Kash all to herself, whichever happened. But Vax wasn't Kash, and Keyleth wasn't Zahra, and if Keyleth showed up... On the other hand, "What if Keyleth never shows up, though? I'm not saying you're wrong, or that we shouldn't look out for Vax if he lets his feelings get away from him, but... If Keyleth never comes, and we don't get home, I don't want to watch my brother be lonely and miserable the rest of our lives either."

"No one is asking him to be miserable. I'd rather like to see him less miserable. I would also like to not have to face my best friend some day and explain to her that we encouraged her boyfriend to break faith after just a few months." Honesty might compel other people to admit that nearly a year was somewhat longer than a few months, but Percy was not other people and in Vax's case, this was positively Hasted. "What would you have said if I'd been in a relationship with someone else when you arrived?"

Vex did not share well. She knew this. Percy knew this. Everyone who'd met her knew this. She'd missed sharing class at school in Syngorn. If she'd arrived and found Percy was with someone else, it would not have gone well for anyone involved. She wasn't Zahra either. "We'd have had to have a fucking very long talk," she answered, dark eyes flashing with a hint of the fire that would've flared. "But this isn't about us. This is Vax. And who's encouraging? I'm not encouraging, and I know you're not encouraging. I'm not even saying we should encourage him. I'm just not entirely sure we should be discouraging him either. If he's not sure what he feels, and we try to force him to stay away, that could make him want Steph more. Did you consider that?"

"Of course, I..." Percy stopped and sighed. He pulled off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, I thought about it. But we've been ignoring this for months and it clearly hasn't helped. Direct intervention seemed like the best course." He frowned and replaced his glasses so he could see Vex's expression clearly, "You don't support this, do you?"

Reaching out, Vex rested her hand on Percy's knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I don't support a scorched earth, build a wall approach, no. Or putting all blame on Stephanie. I like her, Percy, and I think, if not for this whatever-it-is between her and Vax, you'd like her too. But we've been, as you said, ignoring this for months. She hasn't thrown herself wantonly at Vax. He hasn't pledged his love for her. If mutual feelings continue to develop when Vax is trying not to let them, and no one is encouraging them, then we'll know it isn't some passing fancy. He adores Gilmore, and flirted shamelessly until he realized he didn't want to lead him on, and they're still good friends. No one decided direct intervention was the best course there. We left it to Vax."

"Flirting wouldn't bother me. That's just Vax. It's the brooding that's causing concern." Percy sighed and wrapped his arm around Vex, drawing her against his side. "I'll refrain from further meddling. Even if I don't trust her in the least." This was, after all, not what he or she had hoped for from their beach picnic. He wanted to spend time with Vex away from the claustrophobic confines of the inn, not bring its troubles with them. "Let's talk about something more pleasant, hm?"

Setting against his side, Vex kissed Percy's cheek. "Let's." Being Vex, she pushed concern for her brother and the dilemma of how to help down, and focused on the good of time with Percy, just the two of them. "So. You've been busy lately. Working on something terribly clever, are you?" She loved watching him work, although she could be a distraction at times. To be fair, she liked being a distraction at times too. But Percy really was so ingenious, and came up with wonderful things, and she liked hearing him talk about his work, whether she understood it or not.

He rested his chin on her hair, content to hold her. She was, so often, the best thing in his life. He didn't like to forget that. "Yes, I've.. I've been working on a design. Not a weapon but. I was going to be a clock maker. Before everything happened. And I thought, there's not the same need to make weapons here. That it would be nice to make something peaceful for a change."

It was easy to picture: Percy, second son of the de Rolo family of Whitestone, with his inventive mind and nimble hands, creating ever more exquisite and intricate timepieces. Without the scars of the Briarwoods, Ripley, and Orthax on his body and his soul. A Percy who hadn't forgotten how to hope. A Percy who didn't believe he was broken and unworthy. But that he could set aside the weapons and create such things now, after everything, that was a gift being trapped in this place gave them both. "That sounds wonderful. I could see you as a clockmaker."

"It's just a small thing," he replied, uncharacteristically modest. The things he'd seen here, the technical innovations beyond even his imaginings, had given him pause. "I don't have a proper workshop here. Missing too many tools. But It's an interesting challenge nonetheless. It feels strange to be keeping time, trying to keep time. I've never quite felt as though I've had enough."

He should make her list, Vex decided. For the next time a room opened up to somewhere. They had gold, and Percy should have all the proper tools. "Never enough, or too much. Gods, some things just drag on forever. A good challenge is just the thing. And clocks, they're all about precision and accuracy, aren't they? Sounds like the perfect project for you."

"They're extremely precise. To keep time properly, they have to be exactly right. I don't, the tools I need aren't complicated but they're more precise than I can manage here. I wonder if it's necessary. Every room has one of those time displays. One can hardly escape the passage of it." Except out here. Here the only way to count time was the rolling waves, the shifting sun and the beat of their hearts.

Taking one of Percy's hands in hers, Vex traced over the knuckles and pads, the calluses and carefully trimmed nails. She loved his hands, and all they could do. "There can be more to a clock than simply telling the time. There's beauty in all the pieces fitting together just so," she said, interlacing their fingers, "There's the work and care that goes into making it. There's the challenge itself, of making something you haven't before, simply because you can, or to see if you can. Who says those things aren't as necessary as knowing when it's 3:18 in the afternoon? That they aren't as important, or more important?"

Percy exhaled slowly, relaxing at her touch. He closed his eyes. "So much of what we do is ugly. The things I make, the guns, they're the most awful... It's good to make something that isn't meant for death."

"You could give up the guns. If you want." Vex thought of Fenthras. Growth, and protection. How when it brought death, it also created life. They all could use that sort of balance in their lives. "There's been little need for them here, and even when we find a way back to Tal'Dorei, the Conclave has been defeated. The Briarwoods. Ripley. Whitestone is rebuilding. We could help in other ways."

"If we ever find a way, I fear that there is more to do. We still don't know the purpose of the ziggurat. There's Keyleth's aramente to complete...though I suppose you've done that. The world is not yet...settled." This whole idyll in this place felt temporary. Should they make it home, Percy could not imagine a world where he could lay down the devices of death that he'd created and create a new path.

"Practical Percy." That was another of the things Vex loved about him, and the fondness was audible before she emphasized it with a kiss. If they did make it home, and he didn't want to pick up his guns again, she would find a way. She promised herself.

"Someone has to be," he started to say before being very effectively silenced with a kiss. As that was a far preferable activity, it served as a deterrent to more thoughts. Instead, he curled his hand behind her neck and tilted his head to deepen the kiss. For all his practicality and cynicism, Vex made him believe in...better things. Not hope, but potential. Because if one as clearly cursed as himself could be chosen by someone like Vex, there was clearly great potential for goodness in the world.