IC Inbox - Rubi

[donotgofar]

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Vax

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voice; as private as he can make it

[clawandfang]

What have you done.

[ It's not phrased as a question, but it is pretty obvious what Khoriya's referring to. Poisoning the Duchess? Why— or rather, why now? How? Just what does Vax think he's doing? ]

[donotgofar]

Submitted a formal complaint.

voice; shortly after the Moot

[clawandfang]

Why in the Bloody Moon did you not call to me say something about those damned... zlatniki sooner?

[ Why did Khoriya have to learn about what had happened there and then in the hall, fur bristling and hands clenched, knowing better than to speak or interrupt but unable to quell the fury that had risen like molten lava within him. ]

[donotgofar]

What would you have done about it?

Text

[princess_of_ida]

[Some nebilous time before Ianthe disappeared into the Labyrinth.]

If you ever wanted to give me a gift or bribe me, I know what I want.

[donotgofar]

Oh?
What can I do for you, if the occasion arises?

earlyish november

[clawandfang]

[ this is the coward's way to go about it. khoriya knows, but doesn't let that stop him.

written in a blocky hand, neatly folded, and then placed upon the blanket nest in his den. "VAX" is written over the back, though khoriya wonders if he should even bother - after all, he has not shown anyone other than the rogue where he sleeps. ]

Vax'ildan, I am going into the Void. I have ventured forth before and returned unscathed, so now I would test how far it stretches, map its depths, and see what, if anything, lies beyond.

If I am not back within a fortnight, you may give my sword to someone worthy of it. But I have every intention of returning.

Do NOT follow after me. I will kill you myself.

Again.

[ a few sentences written and then scratched with blots of ink, only the very end of which is legible -rateful- .... -by my side... ]

Burn this after you are done reading it.

voice

[whatsinfrontofyou]

To be clear, you don't have any say in who I do or do not fuck.

[This is without any preamble. Surely a very normal conversation.]

But.

If there were any names that would cause strife, would you be inclined to tell me?

[donotgofar]

Uh... okay.

[ He doesn't have to wait long before the follow-up makes everything clearer. But that doesn't make it easier. ]

In a place like this, is it even worth it?

[ Yes, he's stalling. ]

Text;

[onlyforgiveness]

[ When hope finally returns to Rubilykskoye, even though it comes from the Duchess and her ritual, Dion is finally able to get a message to 'Vax'ildan'. ]

Good day Vax'ildan, may this missive find you well.

My name is Dion and, though I pray you will forgive this sudden imposition, I have found myself in possession of a parcel that was meant to be delivered to you.

[donotgofar]

Well, color me curious .

voice

[whatsinfrontofyou]

Brother, have you considered moving out of the boarding house? Like we don't have to stay there.

[donotgofar]

... No I have not.

[ As in: it has never actually crossed his mind as a real option. Oops. ]

Text

[princess_of_ida]

As soon as these last guests are escorted to the castle, the morgue is your responsibility for the next few days. Unless it's an emergency, don't bother me.

[donotgofar]

Okay?
What's happening?
Are you okay?

[ This feels like reasonable cause for alarm. That or Ianthe needs a break. ]

voice; backdated to late may

[whatsinfrontofyou]

You absolute fuck, is it true?

[She already knows it is, at least rationally. Sweeney doesn't lie. She's not sure he really can lie as such, and while she's sure he's perfectly capable of doing fey games with the truth, what he's said had left little room for misunderstanding.

By intention, she's sure.]

Did you let him kill you? Did you die again without telling me?

[Vax might be in luck that Vex isn't patient enough just now to wait until she can confront him face to face before she starts yelling. Otherwise, he'd already have been punched two or three times by now.

Probably in the arm.

Probably.]

[donotgofar]

[ He's been waiting for this, and at least Sweeney did as he asked and waited to tell her so that Vax... could actually be around to answer. ]

I let him, [ he says, voice heavy and tired but clear. ] He came to me when he saw my name and we talked about it.

[ That's the short version. ]

voice

[whatsinfrontofyou]

[relevant to this thread]

I don't suppose I can bully you into bringing over some grapes? Or like berries, or... something like that.

It's not for me. It's for Jordana.

[donotgofar]

You want me to bring you grapes or berries or something for Jordana. Any reason you're not having me deliver them? Want to take credit? I see how it is.

voice

[whatsinfrontofyou]

Percival is here.

[donotgofar]

[ Vax has five thoughts at once, enough to give him one hell of a headache. He rubs his forehead. He wants to be happy for Vex'ahlia - he is/i> - but she still doesn't know what he does. And he needs to find out what Percival remembers. ]

Of course he is.

[ If anyone else has to show up, please let it be--No. No he can't wish that. He won't. ]

Are you all right?

voice. mid-august.

[pathography]

Vex tells me you assist Ianthe with her work here.

[donotgofar]

I do. She's the Deathwarden and I've been helping her for a while now.

... Is there a reason this is relevant?

[whatsinfrontofyou]

How would you feel about a house warming?

[donotgofar]

Generally favorable?

Before the housewarming party

[princess_of_ida]

Your sister is a fucking idiot. Make sure to remind her of that when you see her next.

[donotgofar]

Oh this will be a fun change for me.
What did she do.

also before the housewarming party, because he should probably eat shit over this as well.

[pathography]

[ He's sitting outside Ianthe's house, glaring at nothing and deciding he's better off getting the jump on explaining himself before Vex beats him to it. The only tricky part is knowing how to start. ]

The problem is solved.

[donotgofar]

Do not fucking speak to me.

action

[whatsinfrontofyou]

[The same day as this.]

Vex comes knocking in the evening after speaking to Khoriya and Ianthe, gentle as she tops the narrow stairs up to her bother's space. There's a hesitation that's not common for her, not where Vax is concerned. She knows she's welcome.

That's not the problem.

"Can we talk?" she asks. "It may take more than a moment."

[donotgofar]

Vax is aware, he's just refrained from chiming in because he isn't... sure how he feels. Or what to think. And he definitely has no idea what the fuck to say. So in a rare moment of restraint, he hasn't said anything.

At the moment he's staring out the window (recently repaired) over the rooftops and running his thumb along an empty glass bottle - not very big, it could easily be hidden in his palm. It looks like it could have contained perfume or something, once upon a time.

"Of course we can, Stubby."

Vax's room is comfortable, if nothing else. His bed is a heavy feather mattress on the floor and piled with pillows and blankets from gods' know where, but there's other places to sit if Vex is so inclined.

action; a few days after

[clawandfang]

More often than not, it's Vax who seeks out Khoriya in his den, sometimes found lounging in the pile of blankets he calls a bed, other times appearing out of the shadows to catch him by surprise. Even when he manages to half startle Khoriya out of his fur, the worg still rather prefers this arrangement - for his lover to come and go at his leisure, for Khoriya to never worry about his presence being an imposition.

But perhaps the two of them are past such petty concerns and anxieties.

This time, it is Khoriya who comes calling, bearing a basket of peaches as an excuse. Upon finding Vax gone out for some errand or another, he makes further excuses to wait up in his rooms. At first, he simply stands at the window, stone-still, looking out over the streets and rooftops of the township. After a while, Khoriya finds himself gravitating toward Vax's bed, step by slow step, giving way to that part of him that keens with piteous animal grief, the pathetically weak part of him that associates the rogue's scent with comfort and surety.

By the time Vax gets back, he'll find his bed in disarray, pillows and blankets strewn about with a massive wolf half burrowed into his sheets. Head under the covers as if trying to block out the world.

[donotgofar]

Lucky for the pitiful and very large wolf, Vax's bed remains more or less a pile of mattresses and pillows with quilts and blankets scavenged from who knows where. But they are clean, and they smell of Vax, and it's a warm and cozy place for Khoriya to hide until the rogue reappears.

The room has changed little since the first time Khoriya saw it, save for the fact that it is more lived in now. There are small crystals hanging to catch the light that comes through the windows, a table bench set up with a handful of half-finished carving and tools and knives waiting to be sharpened. Near the bed is a smaller table with a collection of beads, feathers, and colored string that he uses to decorate his hair. It's hardly the whole collection and he frequently wears the ones Khoriya and Vex have given him more than the rest.

When Vax gets back, he doesn't come in through the lower levels but through one of the windows. He stills the moment he realizes there is someone in his room... and relaxes when he sees the white tail poking out from beneath his blankets. Vax shrugs off his bag and pulls the window shut. He leaves his boots there as well and pushes back the hood he's wearing as he approaches the bed. He doesn't say anything, just drapes himself over the very familiar shape that is only half covered. It's hard to name the feeling he gets when he realizes Khoriya came here looking for him and stayed, waiting.

"Hey," he murmurs. One hand moves, trying to find the wolf's head and specifically one of his ears beneath the blanket.

Voice

[wyldfire]

Hey Vax... I need you to steal Vex's magic bow and let me have it for about an hour and then put it back without her noticing it was gone.

I need to have the Bowyer measure it.

[donotgofar]

Are you having something made for her?

[ There's absolutely a grin in his voice. ]

voice.

[hedoniste]

Is this— Vax’ildan?

( it is entirely possible he’s never heard this voice before, but they’ve been in the same vicinity a time or two, enough that if he had she wouldn’t be entirely surprised. )

[donotgofar]

It'd be really weird if it wasn't.

[ He recognizes the voice, even if he can't place a name to it. ]