Good. [ forgot to be gay there, but before they step through the archway, he presses a kiss to his cheek, with a 'mwah', and then settles again. ] Mhm. Both of them.
[ he did in fact have two. vax looks absently down at the tops of his hands, which are finally free of tattoos for the first time in a week! finally. ]
For the record, I didn't use you for any of them. [ this is teasing, at least. ] Had to dress in bright colors for the week. And then for the pig one, had to scare three people.
[oof, holding him gets awkward for a second, because after that kiss he has to stop and shift vax's weight to support him in one arm. the other sleeve is pressed to his mouth, to cough up more petals.]
...mm. Not too troubling, then. He did not offer up what the task was, but when Kashuu had the pig tattoo, he said it was bad, and he did not wish to complete it.
vax has not coughed up too many flower petals really - he's not exactly hiding his emotions, most of the time - so he just gives him a little pat on the chest, concerned and a little bit guilty. as he's adjusted, he reaches up to try and brush away a couple of these errant flowers - catching a petal between his fingertips with a quick sleight of hand and turning it to investigate it, absently.
whoops. he'll let it flutter to the ground once he's gotten a look at it, and settles again, sort of behaving, instead just propping his arm up on his shoulder and then his cheek on it, looking up at him, thoughtful. ]
Yeah. Rubes said the same, when she had one. Seems like I got lucky. [ considering he likes to startle people normally - terrifying people isn't exactly out of his wheelhouse. ] Just got a token for it.
[ he shakes his head... she didn't look too happy about it, so, frankly, he hadn't asked.
... the curiosity takes over, though, and he turns the unfamiliar flower between his fingers, absently. ] ... Never seen one like this before. From your world, maybe?
[ crow probably would too, honestly, because sometimes you are just two stupid birds, but, vin is his immediate first thought. there! productive. see?
... he watches the next couple of petals go with the sort of acute fascination you just have to? sir. you're making it worse. why are you and percy both like this. ] ..aaand? What is it?
[ that gets a little nod, at first - yeah, he'll look into that.
but otherwise, he just leans forward a little from his perch, examining the flower itself, its soft color. ]
Like what? Different from the colors here? [ there's maybe a liiiitttle bit of gremlin to that, but, it is a genuine question. kiki'd love these, probably. ]
[ he would not continue doing this if you didn't continue enabling him. alas, the continued pink just gets him smiling like a fox, entirely too pleased. ]
Maybe I just wanted to hear you say it. [ :3c ] Happy? Or...
No promises. [ :3c This is what happens when you cart him around you’re within retaliation damage splash zone.
anyway. pleased! ]
Got some stuff to tell you about from my meeting with Soosh and Vin: it worked out. I was able to hold them together for a little bit. Might be able to help with your dreams.
[ off we go. he is just being carried! hold a bird gently. ]
Mm. It's really important that we get the Residents to remember that they want to leave this place. [ there's a lot that goes unsaid there, as his gaze shifts briefly over to emet - it's likely they're both thinking of bass. ] Soosh said that the trip I went on, a few weeks ago - that it was relevant.
The entire thing was about the castle trying to suck us in and keep us there. Kept making us feel safe, and punishing us if we tried to leave - when I got attacked by the illusion of Percival at the end, he was even refracting. Didn't know what it was called, then, but I see it now.
[ he delivers this description fairly calmly, though vax's expression is stormy - he clears his throat and coughs, once, and a few flower petals drop into his hand, a deep, blackish blue color. he tosses them aside, ignoring. ] Soosh worded it as "safety without growth" versus "taking risks for change."
... The part of it that sits bad with me though is that we didn't just get out easy. I couldn't get Percy to stop refracting - he killed me. That was the last thing I remember, and then I woke up back here.
... I will ask Bass how he feels, when we meet today. Gauge his current stance on the matter.
[he thinks he might not be as hard as others, maybe.
the flowers get a worried look, but he continues on without pressing... which ends in him coughing a purple elpis blossom. it's fine.]
-mm. But as for the last part... we now know it is possible to save each other. Percy and Hot Pants were. Even if we cannot save everyone, there are ways-- you and Hythlodaeus may have faded, after I saved you in our own trip, but there was no violence. You never tried to kill me.
Mm. I think it's... we talked about it a little. It's getting better. I think he and Riff should try and remember things together - we gotta keep coaxing them all to talk to each other.
[ vax's expression stays thoughtful, even after that, and he drapes a little further over emet's shoulder, settling. he remembers that name, briefly, from emet's memories, and frowns a little. he'd like to not fade away, frankly. ]
Right. That's good. Sounds like an improvement over some of the - I've been on too many of these fucking things, what the fuck. [ GOD WHY IS HE ALWAYS DEAD AND OR DYING ] ...I keep saying it - cheesy as it is. Love saved me and Percy.
[ his sister, after all. ] So who knows what we can do with that. I think we avoided getting fucked up in that castle because we were nice to a monster in it.
[he's quiet long enough that his throat begins to tickle again, that the flowers threaten to make him choke on them again, but:]
"The most important part of you is your heart. Not your mind, or your magic. It is the love I know you possess. The love for us, for our people, for those you have met here."
[he remembers it so clearly.]
Hythlodaeus told me this, ere the two of you faded. And you-- you asked me to promise you both not to let my big brain get in the way.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[hog his attention all you want, vax. he's yours for now.]
There is always the-- "moon", I suppose.
By the by-- did you complete your task last week?
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[ he did in fact have two. vax looks absently down at the tops of his hands, which are finally free of tattoos for the first time in a week! finally. ]
For the record, I didn't use you for any of them. [ this is teasing, at least. ] Had to dress in bright colors for the week. And then for the pig one, had to scare three people.
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[oof, holding him gets awkward for a second, because after that kiss he has to stop and shift vax's weight to support him in one arm. the other sleeve is pressed to his mouth, to cough up more petals.]
...mm. Not too troubling, then. He did not offer up what the task was, but when Kashuu had the pig tattoo, he said it was bad, and he did not wish to complete it.
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vax has not coughed up too many flower petals really - he's not exactly hiding his emotions, most of the time - so he just gives him a little pat on the chest, concerned and a little bit guilty. as he's adjusted, he reaches up to try and brush away a couple of these errant flowers - catching a petal between his fingertips with a quick sleight of hand and turning it to investigate it, absently.
whoops. he'll let it flutter to the ground once he's gotten a look at it, and settles again, sort of behaving, instead just propping his arm up on his shoulder and then his cheek on it, looking up at him, thoughtful. ]
Yeah. Rubes said the same, when she had one. Seems like I got lucky. [ considering he likes to startle people normally - terrifying people isn't exactly out of his wheelhouse. ] Just got a token for it.
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[he clears his throat and a couple more petals flutter away. ugh.
they're not cherry blossoms this time. they look like the petals of the flower in meteion's wall graffiti in the alley, glowing a soft pink.]
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[ he shakes his head... she didn't look too happy about it, so, frankly, he hadn't asked.
... the curiosity takes over, though, and he turns the unfamiliar flower between his fingers, absently. ] ... Never seen one like this before. From your world, maybe?
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[he's trying to work some stuff out here in the middle of being gay okay
he pauses, though, at the question about the flower.]
-mm. It is.
[he doesn't say anything else about it.
annnd so there are another few petals.]
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[ crow probably would too, honestly, because sometimes you are just two stupid birds, but, vin is his immediate first thought. there! productive. see?
... he watches the next couple of petals go with the sort of acute fascination you just have to? sir. you're making it worse. why are you and percy both like this. ] ..aaand? What is it?
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[as for the flowers.... hhh.]
...they are called Elpis flowers, after the place where they grow. Their color varies, as they... reflect the dominant emotion in their surroundings.
[he doesn't cough any more up, this time.]
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but otherwise, he just leans forward a little from his perch, examining the flower itself, its soft color. ]
Like what? Different from the colors here? [ there's maybe a liiiitttle bit of gremlin to that, but, it is a genuine question. kiki'd love these, probably. ]
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holds up the pink one. gives it a little wiggle? ]
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[chokes on a flower before he coughs it up]
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You do too!
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[stop that!!
it's still pink.]
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Maybe I just wanted to hear you say it. [ :3c ] Happy? Or...
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[he almost says nothing, but the tickle in his throat tips his hand.]
...fondness. I expect.
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well. he gets a smooch for his trouble, vax just leaning into his space to steal one. ]
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Behave yourself, now.
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anyway. pleased! ]
Got some stuff to tell you about from my meeting with Soosh and Vin: it worked out. I was able to hold them together for a little bit. Might be able to help with your dreams.
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[as he carries vax back through the archway, and heads toward the one to the moon:]
I would hear of it, then. I've yet to decide on my dreams this week.
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Mm. It's really important that we get the Residents to remember that they want to leave this place. [ there's a lot that goes unsaid there, as his gaze shifts briefly over to emet - it's likely they're both thinking of bass. ] Soosh said that the trip I went on, a few weeks ago - that it was relevant.
The entire thing was about the castle trying to suck us in and keep us there. Kept making us feel safe, and punishing us if we tried to leave - when I got attacked by the illusion of Percival at the end, he was even refracting. Didn't know what it was called, then, but I see it now.
[ he delivers this description fairly calmly, though vax's expression is stormy - he clears his throat and coughs, once, and a few flower petals drop into his hand, a deep, blackish blue color. he tosses them aside, ignoring. ] Soosh worded it as "safety without growth" versus "taking risks for change."
... The part of it that sits bad with me though is that we didn't just get out easy. I couldn't get Percy to stop refracting - he killed me. That was the last thing I remember, and then I woke up back here.
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[he thinks he might not be as hard as others, maybe.
the flowers get a worried look, but he continues on without pressing... which ends in him coughing a purple elpis blossom. it's fine.]
-mm. But as for the last part... we now know it is possible to save each other. Percy and Hot Pants were. Even if we cannot save everyone, there are ways-- you and Hythlodaeus may have faded, after I saved you in our own trip, but there was no violence. You never tried to kill me.
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[ vax's expression stays thoughtful, even after that, and he drapes a little further over emet's shoulder, settling. he remembers that name, briefly, from emet's memories, and frowns a little. he'd like to not fade away, frankly. ]
Right. That's good. Sounds like an improvement over some of the - I've been on too many of these fucking things, what the fuck. [ GOD WHY IS HE ALWAYS DEAD AND OR DYING ] ...I keep saying it - cheesy as it is. Love saved me and Percy.
[ his sister, after all. ] So who knows what we can do with that. I think we avoided getting fucked up in that castle because we were nice to a monster in it.
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[he's quiet long enough that his throat begins to tickle again, that the flowers threaten to make him choke on them again, but:]
"The most important part of you is your heart. Not your mind, or your magic. It is the love I know you possess. The love for us, for our people, for those you have met here."
[he remembers it so clearly.]
Hythlodaeus told me this, ere the two of you faded. And you-- you asked me to promise you both not to let my big brain get in the way.
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