vax'ildan (deathwalker) wrote in noexits, @ 2022-05-24 19:11:00 |
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If you ask him, one of Vax's better qualities is that he's adaptable. He's had to be. After years of nomadic wandering with his twin while taking whatever jobs crossed their path followed by the formation of Vox Machina (which until recently had been essentially the same thing but with more people), things have been in a constant state of flux for him for much longer than they've ever been stable. So while Derleth was at first a shock to his system, all it's really been is another situation to adapt to. And he likes to think he has. It certainly seems to be the truth tonight. After a lot of trial and error he managed to fashion himself a toga that's draped well and seems like it's going to stay on no matter how animated he gets, both of which he thinks are feats considering it's nothing but a bed sheet he dug out of a closet somewhere. He doesn't look quite as put together as some of the partygoers who used magic or knew better what they were going for in making themselves look more regal, but he figures what's important is having fun. And as the party stretches longer, he's certainly doing that. There's beauty in knowing that while he may wake up in a sticky situation it won't be because of all he's had to drink tonight, and he's taking advantage of that fact with enough drinks that his usual catlike grace is getting significantly less graceful and a little more wobbly. But Kate's done his eyeliner, he's positively covered in glitter now, and he's danced enough that his feet hurt - there's not much need for grace left. He loops around the party until he spies Percy, after which his course gets a lot less meandering and a lot more focused. Not for the first time in their lives his initial greeting is an arm slung over Percy's shoulders as he leans his weight into him; a telltale sign that he's been drinking, but to be fair? That's essentially everyone here who's of age. There's glitter clinging to his skin in streaks and his hair is shedding it with almost every move, but he isn't mindful of any of that as he gives Percy a lazy smile and shakes them both side to side companionably. "Percival." Vax draws the name out like only the drunken can as he steps away from Percy and gives him a look from head to toe. "You look good. Why didn't I come to you to fancy this up before the party started?" He plucks at the front of his polka dotted toga, then shrugs helplessly before drifting an unsteady step closer again to nudge his shoulder into Percy's. "Having fun, then?" It took the realization that Thor is essentially a literate version of Grog for Percy to finally find himself more at ease here. His problem hasn't just been the sullenness of having been dead, but the simple fact that he misses his friends. His family. He has Vax, and he's endlessly grateful for that, but the entirety of Vox Machina saved him from himself. And like the softy he is, he misses the delinquents. Percy's at the party with every intention of just having some fun and he does exactly that. His toga looks expertly folded and tied and his laurel crown is crisp and exceptionally regal looking. Even in this silly outfit, he can carry himself with all the grace and prickishness that he's used to. Or he does for some time until he finds people playing a fascinating game with copious amounts of ale and a small, bouncing ball. He learns it's called beer pong and he becomes decidedly competitive at it, because of course he does. He's not especially good at it, but he's not terrible either. When he finally bows out, at least for the time being, he's not totally smashed, but he's warm and lightheaded and happy. And definitely soberer than Vax is when he throws his arm around Percy and slurs his way through his name. He can't bring himself to even playfully insult Vax. He just smiles and closes his eyes briefly as the half-elf squeezes him close. "I am having fun," and the beer is potent enough on his breath for that statement to probably be true. He looks Vax over, covered in glitter and shakes his head, still smiling. "You certainly look like you're having fun." "I," Vax begins like it's an announcement, pausing for dramatic effect, "...am having a lovely time." So the most obvious announcement imaginable, but he still grins like he's delivered the best news in the whole of Derleth. The grin fades a little when he spies a smear of glitter shining on Percy's shoulder, making way for vague concern as he reaches out to swipe at it with his thumb and only succeeds in spreading it around a little. After a couple more attempts that only do more of the same, Vax wrinkles his nose and gives up with a shrug, returning his focus back to Percy's face rather than his shoulder with an apologetic look. "This gets everywhere and you can't really control it. But it's nice, isn't it?" His easy smile now returned, Vax drapes an arm back over Percy's shoulder like he's an armrest. It's awkward given how tall Percy is, but the half-elf has had just enough to drink that in this case the loose bonelessness is working in his favor - he shouldn't be comfortable and yet he is, because he's past the point of registering minor discomforts. It's a nice place to be, just before a reset. "I think I've decided the key is to just lean into it." He pauses long enough to take a survey of the party from one side to the other, letting the swing of his head take him right up to looking at Percy. It takes a second for his eyes to refocus to really register Percy's face this close, but he gets there and only feels a tiny bit dizzy from the effort of it. "It's not so bad, dinosaurs and evil doppelgangers notwithstanding. Right?" Certainly Vax would prefer it if the rest of their friends had made this strange jump with them and he's absolutely spent more than his fair share of time worrying about his sister in the last week, but in the grand scheme of things he's come to the realization that of all the places to be thrown without a choice in the matter, this place isn't the worst he imagine. Not by far. He finally drops his arm from Percy's shoulder, thanks mostly to the fact that with his arm raised like that his fingertips have started to tingle. Maintaining contact is easy enough, though; he loops that arm through Percy's without a second thought. "And the company's all right," he adds with a chuckle and a gentle nudge of his elbow against Percy's ribs. "Most of the time." Percy's smile persists. He relishes in the closeness of Vax, the way the half-elf hangs off of him. He knows Vax is drunk, that things are perhaps still weird between them, but he'll be damned if he doesn't allow himself to enjoy every second of this. "The company's not so bad," he agrees. "Even if you are a sloppy drunk," his statement followed promptly with a laugh. He turns inward, just slightly, just enough to look at Vax's face, the ever-changing lights around them reflected in the glitter that covers Vax's skin. It makes him stunning, as ethereal as his elven heritage indicates. Percy brings a hand up to swipe some errant strands of black hair away from Vax's face as he continues to stare unabashedly. The copious amounts of beer is certainly making him bolder than he would be ordinarily. But he doesn't go any further than studying Vax's face and taking a long, drawn-out look at his mouth before looking back at the revelers around them. "I guess it really isn't so bad here. I still miss home, though." He still misses Whitestone, despite the tainted memories and the ghosts of his family that haunt every inch of the place. Vax's own laugh is hot on the heels of Percy's after he's been called a sloppy drunk, so it seems like there's no offense taken by... well, what he knows is the truth - so he can hardly be offended by it. "However long it is you've known me is about as long as you've known that, Percival. I behaved myself at the pool party because I felt like it was my duty to, but this one has nothing to do with me hosting and I'm going to enjoy it." Percy shifting to look at him sets Vax just off balance enough that he leans heavily into the space Percy moved out of before he can catch himself. That's sure evidence that he ought to cut himself off. He's steadying himself against Percy's arm when Percy brushes at his hair, and it startles him into a brief moment of clarity as the laziness of his features sharpens into alertness and his attention skips abruptly back up to Percy's face to find him staring. He draws a breath to speak but the fuzziness descends again, quickly enough to rob him of words so the gesture really only serves to part his lips and then make him realize distantly that Percy's looking at his mouth more than he's looking at anything else, and he's just made it worse (or better?) by accident. By the time Percy looks away, Vax feels warmer than just the flush of alcohol has made him so far tonight. He gives his head a little shake and then closes his eyes when it threatens to make him dizzy, breath held until he's more or less sure it isn't going to spiral into him starting to feel sick. Crisis averted (for now), he studies Percy for a moment while Percy's looking at the party and not him, then dips his chin in a slight nod. "I know. So do I." Home is maybe a more nebulous concept for Vax than it is for Percy, but he understands the feeling well enough. "I suppose if what they're trying works, then we're going to end up in one place for good?" The specifics aren't exactly clear to Vax even sober, but he thinks that's the general idea of it. "If that happens, then there'll be more time to figure out how to get us all back where we belong. So chin up, Percival." "Ending up in one place for good seems more like giving up to me. But maybe you're right. I hope you are." Percy keeps his eyes on the partygoers. Some of them are acquaintances now, others he still doesn't really know. Letting any of these people in feels like giving up too. "I want to make the best of things, but I don't want to be trapped here forever." Finally, Percy turns his head to look at Vax again. They're frankly both too drunk for a serious conversation, if only because Percy has no desire to be maudlin at the moment. "And in the interest of making the best of things, what would you say to dancing?" Percy's lips curl into a warm, easy smile. He's already witnessed the gracelessness of drunk Vax on the dance floor and yet he wants nothing more than to lose himself in his own rhythmless white boy dancing. "Come on. I think they're playing our song." His smile only widens and there's a glint of mischief in his eye as he grabs Vax by the hand and drags him out to the dance floor. Since his deal with the Raven Queen, Vax knows he's been more prone to bouts of solemnity than usual. Which means it's easy, even in spite of his elevated mood and drunken fuzziness, to shift him back in that direction. Percy almost succeeds in doing it; he can probably understand the ins and outs of what they're trying to do in anchoring themselves somewhere better than Vax can, and if Percy's read on it is that they're giving up and going to be stuck here... Before he can get too deep into his own muddled thoughts, Percy fixes what he's accidentally just broken. Vax perks up immediately at the offer to dance, his grin back in full force. He doesn't even have to accept - Percy's just grabbing him by the hand and pulling, and Vax is drawn along without offering any resistance. Which, he supposes, is as much of a yes as actually saying it out loud would be. "I don't know what this song is, but I suppose it could be ours." He hasn't recognized anything tonight that he can remember, but that's not surprising and it hasn't stopped him from enjoying himself all the same. He laughs for no reason other than the sheer drunken joy of being at a party without much of a care in the world and shifts closer to Percy, draping one arm over his shoulder. It's in part because he truly does need the help keeping himself from getting too wobbly, but even through the buzz of his thoughts he knows it's because being as close to Percy as he was while they were standing there talking is nice. He wants more of that, and he's drunk enough to try taking it. There's no more rhythm to his movements now as there was earlier, but he's a little more mindful of the music now that he has a dancing partner. Even that awareness starts falling apart when he tries speaking, however; there are only so many things he can pay attention to at one time right now. "So is this that? Are we making the best of things?" Percy moves his limbs awkwardly in a stellar display of drunken white guy dancing. He doesn't know the song, hasn't known any of them, but it seemed like the thing to say when he dragged Vax to the dance floor. And now he's laughing as he dances, or does his best approximation of dancing. Courtly dances are one thing, and he can do those as well as the next noble, but this flailing of extremities is, for sure, one of those rare things Percy is absolutely horrible at. But he's having fun. "I think we are," he responds with a smile. "I really think we are." He knows this isn't what making the best of it will always look like, but it's been so long since he's let loose and he's going to enjoy himself while he can. There are no dragons here, no gods, no pacts, no people to rule. No obligations. It's just Percy and Vax and whatever scenario this mystifying place throws them into and in this moment, Percy feels a bit of relief at the thought of that. Sure, he misses their friends and misses Whitestone, but no longer shouldering the burden of a hero is freeing. He closes his eyes as he lets go and gives himself over to the beat of the music, to the movement of his body and the closeness of Vax's. For now, he lets go of the memory of his death, the oppressive darkness of Orthax's grip that followed it. He's alive now and he feels it. And he wants to keep on feeling it. Vax can't help but laugh as their two methods of dancing come together and form something that's, quite honestly, totally incongruous. Vax, enthusiastic earlier in his efforts to imitate what dancing looks like to the majority of the people at Derleth, has now settled into a more or less (increasingly less) rhythmic sway to the beat, which leaves him dancing around Percy's movements more than he's dancing with Percy. The fluidity of his movement makes it work in its own way, but he ends up doing enough maneuvering that he has to briefly grab Percy's arm to keep himself from stumbling. "Sorry, sorry!" Vax certainly doesn't sound it, not with the mirth still evident in his voice. He keeps that hand on Percy's shoulder even after he doesn't need to steady himself anymore, letting it inch him just that little bit more into Percy's space as they move. With Percy's eyes closed, Vax doesn't feel bad about taking the opportunity to watch him. He certainly looks happier than Vax has ever seen him; before their arrival and certainly since. If nothing else, he's glad this place has given Percy at least that. Percy has some happiness and Vax has some clarity - the ever-changing nature of Derleth has made him realize that fate is coming for him in whatever form it's going to take, so he'd be a fool not to try and enjoy what time he has. Whatever that might mean, and however long it may be. That thought firmly in mind, Vax lifts his hand from Percy's shoulder to smudge the pad of his thumb gently over Percy's cheek where he's somehow picked up a little of Vax's glitter. It has the same effect as before - just spreading it out along the path his thumb takes - but Vax smiles faintly at the way it shines before leaning in to kiss just underneath the smear of it. There first, and then the corner of Percy's mouth, and then a brush of a kiss over Percy's lips as his own swaying starts to slow to a halt. "Sorry," he offers again, quieter but just as obviously a lie as the apologies before. The slight smile is still in place as he draws back just enough that he can glance down at Percy's mouth before returning his focus upward again to gauge Percy's reaction. "Still trying to make the best of things." It's not the weight of Vax's hand on his shoulder that brings Percy back to his awareness, but the soft brush of Vax's thumb against his cheek. The movements of his dancing have slowed a bit, if only because he's getting tired, and his eyes flutter open to look at Vax. There's barely time for a breath before Vax leans forward and Percy sighs at the light caress of lips against his skin. The world doesn't stop, but Percy is certain his heart does as Vax brings their lips together. He's not moving anymore, except to place his hand on the side of Vax's face as he returns the kiss, eyes closed once more. In the back of his mind, he hopes that Vax isn't making a drunken mistake. At the forefront of his mind is relief and the desire to kiss and kiss and kiss. He looks at Vax when the half-elf draws back and there's a small smile on Percy's face and a faint blush on his cheeks. "No sorries," he mumbles and this time he's the one to bring their lips together. His hand moves from Vax's cheek to brush at the side of his hair, not caring in the least that he's collecting more glitter along the way. Vax doesn't really even have time to register Percy's blush or the smile before he's being kissed again, though the fact that he is being kissed again says more than either of the other two could on their own. He tilts his head just slightly into the touch of Percy's fingers through his hair and feels something settle inside his mind that's felt distinctly unsettled since he decided to snoop in Percy's dreams. It occurs to him that maybe he ought to have done this while they were both sober, but he's sure enough right now that he'll want to do it again that he knows they'll get the chance. Vax breaks the kiss when his balance goes just enough that he leans a little harder into Percy than he means to, the arm he's had draped over Percy's shoulder the whole time bending more to anchor him at the back of Percy's neck while his other hand drops to his waist to help steady him. He laughs again, quietly, more giddy joy and relief over what's happened in the last thirty seconds than it is the sheer silliness of being drunk. Even once he's managed to right himself he stays close, tipping his chin up so the tip of his nose nudges against Percy's. "All right, no sorries." His hand lifts away from Percy's waist so he can brush his fingertips over Percy's other cheek now before they trace along the angle of his jaw. His glitter is definitely becoming Percy's glitter too at this point, but he's barely aware of the fact in the deepest recesses of his mind where the inconsequential thoughts live right now. "I suppose this is one to think harder about after the reset, wherever that takes us." Even with intent behind this reset, no one can be sure exactly how it'll turn out... which makes it the same as any of them, in the end. All Vax knows is that he'll end up sober, which is all he needs to know. "But I do promise you, Percival, that I won't be sorry then either." He pauses long enough to pull back and glance around, surprise registering on his face when he remembers they're on the dance floor. "Should we... we're not really dancing anymore, are we?" Percy shrugs off Vax's concern about them still being on the dancefloor and just cups the back of the half-elf's head, bringing him in closer so he can rest their foreheads together. He closes his eyes and breathes a sigh that's a warm whisper of a breath against Vax's mouth. "I hope you won't be sorry," he says quietly, eyes still closed. He lingers there for a quiet moment before slowly drawing away. He fixes his gaze on the floor and his voice goes quieter still. "I love you, you know." He chances a quick look at Vax, unable to even imagine what kind of reaction Vax might have. If he even heard the confession above the din of the party. At first Percy thinks he's feeling the thrum of the bass running through his body but he quickly realizes it's the rapid beating of his own heart. This probably isn't the best moment for this kind of declaration, but knowing the way their lives tend to go, there never will be a good moment. So he waits, his breath caught in anticipation, a thin sheen of sweat forming over his brow. Vax clearly isn't too concerned with the two of them still being on the dance floor because he's easily drawn back in closer. The sigh against his mouth has him tipping his chin forward just enough that their lips almost touch again, but before he can close that final small distance Percy's speaking, and Vax is almost distracted enough by the movement of Percy's lips that close to his that he doesn't register what's actually being said. It leaves him blinking when Percy pulls back, his fingertips digging in a little harder at Percy's waist where his hands have fallen to rest in an effort to keep him from leaving entirely. "Percival, there's nothing to be sorry about. I - " Talking over each other isn't an unusual thing for them, but Percy's much quieter addition has Vax's own words dying in his throat. There's surprise on his face when Percy looks up at him. Surprise and a good deal more lucidity than there was when they first stepped foot on the dance floor, the foggy laziness of drunkenness starting to be driven away by time and the shock of Percy's confession. He hasn't let go of Percy yet. In fact, he shifts closer again to bring them as near to each other as they were before Percy drew back. "I always thought... " He's barely able to manage the beginning of a thought before the swirl of them in his head plucks it back into the vortex and spits another one at him. He always thought Percy loved, or at least could eventually grow to love, Vex’ahlia. But that idea, Vax realizes, probably died around the time he went barging into Percy's dreams. "Is it - " Because we're here alone. Because you died. Because something else happened that I don't know about yet. It could be anything. It could just be the truth. Vax makes a quiet, frustrated noise at his inability to articulate anything in the wake of a declaration that serious, then brings both hands to Percy's cheeks to cradle there gently and keep him still while Vax kisses him again. It's chaste, just a press of his lips to Percy's, but it lingers until Vax feels his mind start to at least try to quiet itself. He doesn't pull back so much as he just turns so his lips touch the corner of Percy's mouth next, then graze down to his jaw before he winds his arms around Percy's neck and presses his face into the space between his arm and Percy's neck. "I didn't know, actually," he mumbles into that darkness, turning his head just enough to kiss Percy's neck where he can reach. "I had no fucking idea." Percy sighs again after they kiss and winds his arms around Vax's waist, holding him near. He's quiet for a while, reveling in the closeness of Vax. "For a long time now, I think," he says quietly and thoughtfully. "I can't really pinpoint a moment, it didn't hit me out of nowhere or anything. I guess it just sort of...gradually happened over time." He trails his hands up and down Vax's back and for a good long moment, he forgets they are in the middle of a party, at a standstill in the middle of a dancefloor. When he does remember where they are, he becomes sheepish, pulling back just a little from Vax, but not letting him go. "We should..." he pauses and thinks for a moment. He deliberates how to word things without giving the impression of having any kind of expectation. "We should probably get off the dancefloor at the least." Vax is quiet until Percy pulls back: not because he doesn't have anything to say, but because he feels like he has too much to say. Considering how well it went the last time he tried to talk, he decides he's content to let the moment wash over him without his own interference. Until Percy suggests they move, at least; then what might have looked like solemn silence in an instant becomes a smile every bit as bright as the glitter he's covered in. "You know that's generally how it works," he teases, stepping back just far enough that Percy's forced to slide his hands to a spot where Vax can grab them in his own. Once he has, he eases backwards at a slower, more deliberate pace than he normally would - his sure-footedness serves him well in most circumstances, but it's nothing he can rely on when he's been drinking and it wouldn't serve either of them very well if he fell flat on his ass and pulled Percy with him. "You meet somebody, you spend time with them. And then you realize that somewhere along the way you got to a point where you're not sure how you'd live without them." He thinks he does well to keep his tone breezy. Conversational, a little teasing. But he's keenly aware of the fact that he hasn't said it back to Percy, and now that this much time has gone by he doesn't want it to ring hollow like an afterthought. Percy's smart enough to read into what he's said and take it for the confession it is, Vax hopes. Well, he knows Percy's smart enough. What he doesn't know is exactly how much he's had to drink and whether it's enough to dull that keen mind of his. Vax manages to get them off the dance floor without falling, and once they're well clear of it he stops but keeps pulling Percy in toward him until they're practically chest to chest again. "So here we are, Percival. Off the dance floor at the least." His grin goes mischievous as he laces their fingers together and leverages himself into moving close enough he's nose to nose with Percy. "I'm not sure we've got long until things reset. How do you want to spend it?" "I didn't know you were such an expert at falling in love," Percy says and scoffs. He doesn't notice that Vax hasn't reciprocated his words. Vax's physical reactions have been enough that Percy feels it and he is still drunk enough to not overthink anything for once in his life. He slips an arm around Vax's waist as they move away from the dancefloor. He thinks he's probably doing a lot to keep the half-elf upright as they walk. He's leading Vax to a chair, but Vax stops them, closes whatever space was left between them and Percy smiles warmly. "I just want to spend it with you," he replies. This moment feels like a dream. Did he really confess to loving Vax? Will the reset change any of this? He waves a hand to dismiss his thoughts, which looks like a random, unnecessary gesture. He leans in and steals a quick kiss. He has half a mind to slump down into a chair, but decides to keep walking, an effort to lead them both somewhere more quiet. "Oh, I'm definitely an expert at falling in love," Vax breezes with a laugh, briefly leaning more of his weight than he really needs to into Percy just because it keeps him close. "What I'm not an expert at is the feeling being mutual." Maudlin as the confession might seem, Vax doesn't seem overly bothered by it being the truth as he sees it - it just exists as it is, and he's lived the experience of it enough times that he accepts it. It's probably an exaggeration to some extent, but his most recent foray into thinking he was in love didn't go nearly as well as he'd wanted it to. And the most recent history is about all his mind can wrap itself around at the moment. Percy's answer seems to be the right one, though; as much as he'd just been teasing him about the implications of 'at least' getting away from everyone else, the sentiment in the reply makes his smile practically incandescent with joy. It only fades when it has to - when Percy steals a kiss from him - and though it's a little more of a subdued smile when they part again, he can't wipe it away from his face entirely. "All right, I think it's easy enough to make that happen." Once they have enough distance on the party that the music is more background noise than anything, Vax spies a suitably appealing patch of grass and sinks to his knees dramatically, like he's falling in slow motion. He catches hold of Percy's hand on the way down and tries to draw him with him, ending up flat on his back with a view of the sky - which really looks like sky for once and not the void, to his continued delight. "Let's just be here, yeah? Who knows if it'll ever look like this again, we should enjoy it while we can." With Percy's hand still in his, he lifts them both until he can graze a kiss against Percy's knuckles, then lets go so he can roll to his side and prop himself up just enough to touch a kiss to Percy's cheek too. Despite his assertions just a few seconds ago that he wants to enjoy the view, he keeps his focus on Percy for the moment. "The whole reset thing always messes with my head if I have time to focus on how it's about to happen. I don't mind plunging headfirst into the unknown when I'm the one choosing to do it, but this place makes us do it week after week and I... " He smiles faintly and shrugs, rolling to his back again. "It'd be nice, making sure we're together for it. When we can be." Percy is happy to follow Vax, only a slight sway in his step from the beer, as they find a quiet place away from the commotion of the party. He allows himself to be drawn down to the ground and lays beside Vax, looking up at the sky. He doesn't recognize any of the constellations and there is no ominous red glowing Ruidus, and yet he feels more at home. It's easier to pretend the two of them are where they are supposed to be when there isn't stark, oppressive whiteness on all sides of them. Or worlds so foreign they make the Feywild feel normal. He turns his head to look as Vax grazes a kiss across Percy's knuckles and a small smile creeps its way across Percy's face. After Vax finishes speaking, Percy turns his gaze back to the night sky. "I've known for a while now that my life is not my own. This place just amplifies that feeling." He squeezes Vax's hand, just briefly, as he tries to connect the stars into his own constellations in his mind. "I think that's a good idea. Exert whatever control we can have. Be together when we can be. Today, we know who we are, but who knows what tomorrow brings after the reset? I hate being a pawn in some cosmic fucking game, but I'm glad I have you with me." It's entirely like the two of them, Vax realizes as he studies the sky with far less of a scientific bent to his stargazing than Percy, to turn such a nice night toward more sobering conversation. It isn't a criticism, especially since it's his fault for bringing it up in the first place, but the realization of it serves to drive home another similarity between he and Percy that he's generally been more inclined to ignore in the past. It's been a long time since he's stopped to think about Percy outside the scope of Vox Machina... but it's also been awhile since he's thought of himself as separate from them. And even longer since he's considered himself for who he is when removed from his sister. As difficult as all of that has been and as much as he hates to give Derleth any credit, perhaps that's one piece of it that the place is actually due. Vax is quiet for a long time after Percy's spoken, feeling melancholy starting to creep in at the edges of his lingering drunkenness and trying to fight against the advance of it. It's impossible to fend it off entirely, but he does a good enough job that when he speaks he doesn't sound as mournful as his initial thoughts on the matter were trying to make him. "I think we were pawns in a game far bigger than us even in Tal'dorei, Percival." He smiles faintly, a little sadness creeping its way into his features as he turns his attention away from the sky and toward Percy. "I know I was, at least. Maybe I still am. And we certainly are here. I think this place has made me realize faster than I might have at home that tomorrow isn't guaranteed. So we ought to do our best with today." He holds Percy's hand a little tighter and closes his eyes, breathing a sigh that has his shoulders relaxing down against the ground. "I'm glad I have you with me too." Percy wants to question how losing Vex didn't make Vax realize sooner that tomorrow is promised to no one, but he refrains from mentioning it. Things feel right between them, the last thing he wants to do is mess that up with this still sore topic. "We were certainly pawns in Tal'dorei. That is what I was saying." He gives Vax a gentle nudge of his elbow into the half-elf's rib cage. "The drunkenness is certainly slowing you down in more ways than one." There's a hint of a smile in one corner of his mouth. He breaks away from the stars to gaze instead at Vax. "How good do you think your aim is right now?" The other corner of his mouth curls into a mischievous smile. Vax could be seeing double, or triple, right now for all Percy knows but that only encourages his blossoming competitiveness. "I bet I can throw a dagger better than you right now." "Owww," Vax whines with a characteristic amount of drama, bringing a hand to his ribs to rub there like Percy's managed to wound him. "I thought you meant you felt it more here, you can't blame me for that!" But he can certainly blame how much he's had to drink, even though he can feel it wearing off considerably. "So really, all I'm doing is agreeing with you. I thought being agreed with was your favorite thing, Percival." He slits one eye open and turns his head just enough to peer at Percy, his grin lazy but no less present for it. "I'm not sure which is worse, honestly. The gods play a subtle game and that's got its own annoyances. This place doesn't make any secrets about fucking with you because it knows it's got you trapped, which... you've really got to respect in a way, I think." Before he can get much deeper into thinking along those lines, Percy's asking a completely unrelated question and it makes Vax's head spin a bit. He's sobering up, sure, but that much of an about face is still staggering enough that he's struggling to understand the point by the time Percy says it out loud. The proposed bet draws a bark of a laugh from the half-elf as he abandons his relaxed sprawl for propping himself up on his elbows and giving Percy an incredulous look. "All the ways we could spend our time until this place resets and you want to spend it letting me prove you wrong?" Still laughing, he rolls himself to his side so he can catch Percy's chin in a gentle grasp between his thumb and index finger, keeping him still just long enough that he can smack an exaggerated kiss against his cheek before he pulls back with a renewed grin. "All right, darling. I'll never let it be said you never gave me anything." Vax springs to his feet with less grace than usual, though he's standing firmly before his head spins and he starts to feel wobbly. This may not be an easy victory after all, he realizes, but he's still fairly certain he can win this bet. Daggers are his domain, after all. He offers both hands to Percy in case he's interested in some help up, then absently plucks at his toga to shake loose any dirt or grass he's got on it after rolling on the ground for the few minutes he did. "I haven't got them on my person at the moment, but that'll be a quick stop and then I'd be happy to win this bet. Come on, then. Keep me company." "You should know me by now. Of course this is going to be how I want to spend our limited time together." Percy reaches up to take Vax's hands to help get him back up off the ground. He's not as wobbly as Vax, so he only hopes this doesn't serve to really put Vax off balance. He's not surprised when it doesn't, Vax must be sobering up a bit by now. "I can't believe you don't have any daggers on you. Even I have a gun on me." This place is unpredictable enough that Percy doesn't feel safe doing anything here unarmed. Even if the cold metal against his skin is just a safety blanket, it's enough for him. He reaches out to brush a bit of dirt away from Vax's toga, his smile now unwavering. He moves his hand down to find Vax's wrist and encircles it, using the grip to pull Vax close to him. He sighs and brings his other hand up to clutch the back of Vax's head and draws their foreheads together. He wants to say something, countless words fight for release, but he keeps his mouth shut. He's happy instead to just exist here in this moment with Vax. Vax goes from dusting his toga off to patting himself down while fixing Percy with an incredulous look. He slaps both hands to his own chest, then his hips, then feels around at waist level like he's trying to find a secret dagger hidden on his person. One that isn't there, because this week hasn't been like that as far as he's seen - it's felt a little like a breath of fresh air, in fact. Very little risk of dying with only the occasional surprise psychic damage from the sudden appearance of strange reminders of everyone's real life; nothing he'd need a dagger for, in his estimation. "Percival, of course I haven't got one on me. Where would I put it?" He throws his hands up and shrugs helplessly, making it even more easy for Percy to catch him by the wrist as his hand falls back to his side. It doesn't take much of a pull to get him moving into Percy's space, his arms winding around Percy's waist as he answers the sigh with a quiet hum of his own. Like agreement. He expects a kiss but contents himself immediately with just the closeness, allowing himself a private smile in the quiet of the moment as he closes his eyes and focuses in on the sound of Percy's breath to the exclusion of everything else. Until a sudden thought pierces through the calm with enough force that it makes his eyes open wide, a startled sounding laugh escaping him before he even has time to put the thought to words. "Percival." The name is practically a purr, drawn out and low, spoken slyly with a note of laughter to it that makes it a tease in one word. He slides his hands from the small of Percy's back to his waist, then traces his fingertips up along Percy's sides before he twists his wrists and eases his palms to Percy's chest to push upward toward his shoulders where they come to rest. It's all done with deliberate slowness, and when Vax's hands come to Percy's shoulders he curls his fingers to help pull himself a step closer. They were forehead to forehead before, now they're nose to nose. "If I couldn't think how to keep a dagger on my person, where in all the hells have you got a whole gun on you?" He smirks, even though it's unlikely Percy can see it; there's an obvious answer to his question, but the lure of asking it was far too great for him to ignore. Percy turns his head and laughs. "Let me have my secrets, Vax." He presses his hands firmly into Vax's back until the laughter dies down and turns his head toward him again, bringing them nose to nose once more. "Clearly I'm a more creative thinker than you." He inclines his head and steals a quick kiss, mischievous grin still curled across his face. He pulls back slowly and drags his hands around the front of Vax so he can grab his hands and give them a brief squeeze. "Come on, let's fetch your daggers before you sober up anymore and I don't stand a chance." He relinquishes his hold on one hand so they can walk side by side to the dorm, to wherever Vax has his daggers stashed away, and to a totally unnecessary contest. "I was thinking we'd throw them at trees, but with the reset bearing down on us. I'm sure it's fine if we just fling them at the walls of your room." |