Chapter Text
Percy lasted about half an hour before passing out again, slumping against Vex and drifting back into sleep, the adrenaline from nearly having his leg ripped off seeming to have finally dissipated. She readjusted to let her arm wrap around his back, her hand holding his waist and securing him against her as he slumbered, his heavy breaths warm where he’d buried his head into her shoulder.
Honestly, Vex understood the urge. She gently shifted her position so that she was leaning her weight against the crates at her side, letting Percy press against her other side like a heated, weighted blanket. Her neck wound up bent at a bit of weird angle, and pressing your head into a hard wooden crate while riding in the back of a horse drawn cart on a bumpy forest path was far from comfortable, but, having just been woken in the middle of the night to fight a bunch of wolves, Vex was extremely tired, so it would have to do. Across from her, she could see Vax curling tight into a small ball like a cat (or a Percy) and bunching his cloak up under his head as a makeshift pillow. The sound of snoring let her know Pike had indeed gone right back to sleep, and even Grog had his head tilted back at an awkward looking angle, clutching one of the wolf corpses he’d dragged aboard like a particularly fucked up cuddle object.
It was the presence of sunlight creeping across her face that had Vex waking up some unknown number of hours later, squinting angrily against the light that dared encroach upon her eyes. It was hard to see for a moment, but the spots cleared eventually, revealing a still sleeping Percy nuzzled into her. He’d drooled a bit, leaving a small wet spot in the fabric beneath his face, but this was Vax’s tunic, so Vex didn’t much care.
Speaking of Vax, he was nowhere to be seen, his position in front of her and Percy now occupied by a lightly dozing Keyleth. He was probably driving, then.
The stink of iron invaded her nostrils, and Vex’s face scrunched up. She shifted forward, doing her best not to disturb Percy whilst glancing around the edge of the crate she was leaned into (good gods, she could already feel that the crick in her neck was going to be a nightmarish one). She caught sight of Grog’s broad shoulders, his back facing her, what looked like the fluffy tip of a wolf’s tail peeking out from behind his mass and his arm moving in a way that suggested he was either trying to skin the creature or engaging in some especially unorthodox masturbation. Her guess was the first option.
“Are you seriously doing that in the cart?” Vex hissed.
“Huh?” Grog uttered, turning to look back over his shoulder. “Oh, hi Vex! I’m skinnin’ a wolf!”
“Yes, I see that,” Vex said dryly. “Do you have to do it in the cart? We don’t own this thing, you know.”
“Well where else am I gonna do it?” Grog questioned.
“...You make an inarguable point, Grog,” Vex snarked.
“Yeah, I’m super smart like that,” Grog replied, looking very proud of himself as he turned back to focus on his messy task. Here was hoping their employer didn’t mind bloodstains all over his cart.
“Hey Vax,” Scanlan called up, his voice loud enough to make Vex scowl. “Any chance we could pull over for a piss break sometime soon?”
“Just piss out the back!” Vax yelled back, drawing his sister’s ire.
“Do you two mind?” She hissed. “Percy is still asleep.”
“Don’t see how that’s my problem,” Vax rebutted, and Vex could practically see the smug look on his stupid little face. “If de Rolo needs his beauty rest, he can do that on his own time.”
“Keyleth is also trying to nap,” Vex pointed out, and surprise surprise, her brother seemed to have no snarky comeback for that.
“How are we coming, Vax?” Pike asked, still laying in her bedroll up atop the crates, but apparently no longer bothering with sleep.
“Fuck if I know,” Vax responded. “I don’t have a map up here or anything. We’re out of the forest, at least. Been in the plains for a few hours or so, so I guess that means we’re close-ish?”
“It does,” Pike confirmed, pushing herself up to a seated position and looking pensively out the back of the cart. “That’s really good. We can probably make it by the end of the day, so long as we don’t run into anymore nonsense.”
Perhaps Pike’s connection to Sarenrae protected her from whatever jinx seemed to effect the rest of them, because her words did not wind up biting them all in the ass. The rest of their journey was entirely uneventful, save for when Scanlan did try to take Vax’s advice and piss off the back of the cart, falling off in the process and landing on his face in the dirt, shouting about how his dick broke. That commotion did manage to finally wake Percy, the human blinking blearily awake to the dulcet tones of their bard screaming about his penis. He immediately looked exhausted, and Vex had to laugh at the long suffering expression on his face.
They reached Emon just as the sun was beginning to touch down upon the horizon. The guards at the gates gave them the same suspicious look they always got, but let them through anyways, staring in bald faced horror when a blood stained Grog waved cheerily at them, still clutching his gore and fur coated blade in his hand, a mutilated wolf corpse slumped across his lap.
“Anyone remember where the fuck we’re supposed to go?” Vax asked, glaring around the cramped streets as if the answer would just jump out at them.
“Uhhh…” Keyleth laughed nervously. “Everything in cities kinda looks the same to me.”
“I’ve got it,” Pike sighed, climbing up through the front window of the cart to join Vax in the driver’s seat.
“Have fun with that,” Vex snorted, rising to her feet and stretching, cracking her neck to the side with an admittedly dramatic moan. Fuck that hurt. “Percival and I will be taking our leave here.”
“Wh- we will?” Percy stuttered, his face nearly blending into the deep red of his pyjamas.
“Of course, darling,” Vex answered, smirking down at him and offering her hand to help him up. “We’re going to Gilmore’s, remember? Getting you a new pair of glasses?”
“But, we’re hardly dressed!” Percy protested, accepting Vex’s hand and rising to his full, lanky height of just a bit taller than Vex. “I’m in my bedclothes and you’re- you aren’t wearing any pants!”
“So?” Vex teased, grinning devilishly. “These folks ought to be thanking me for the view.”
Percy looked like he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to melt into the floor, scream, or explode, so Vex took pity on him, digging a pair of pants out from her bag and tugging them on, turning back to him with her arms out in presentation.
“Does this make you feel better, darling?” She drawled.
“I- yes, thank you,” Percy mumbled. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m not properly dressed, either!”
“Oh please, dear, you worry too much,” Vex laughed, grabbing his coat and throwing it around his shoulders, tugging at the lapels to pull him closer, leaving them practically nose to nose and giving her a front row seat to watching that adorable flush spread across his cheeks. “Just throw your coat on, you’ll be fine. You dress well enough that even your bedclothes are fancier than what most folks out here would be wearing anyways. And Gilmore certainly won’t care. Unless, of course, you’d like to go even longer without being able to see.”
“...You make a persuasive argument,” Percy conceded, slipping his arms into his coat sleeves and buttoning it up so it covered the majority of his outfit. “I would like to enjoy the trappings of competency again as soon as possible.”
“I’m glad you can see sense, darling.”
“At least that’s one thing I can see.”
“Percival de Rolo, was that a joke?” Vex gasped, and Percy cracked a small smile, looking rather pleased with himself.
“Would you two quit flirting and get the fuck out of the cart already?!” Vax demanded. “If you’re going to Gilmore’s, then go! You can suck face there- he’ll be fine with it.”
“Charming as always, brother,” Vex rebuked, her voice low and threatening in a way that communicated in no uncertain terms that Vax’s balls were once again on the market. “If anyone is ‘sucking face’, as you put it, in Gilmore’s shop, it’s you. Though perhaps face isn’t the only thing you’re in there sucking-”
“Alright!” Percy interrupted loudly, looking nothing short of desperate to get out of this situation. “Shall we get going, then?”
“That we shall,” Vex replied, offering her arm for Percy to take in what some little part at the back of her brain gleefully noted was a reversal of the traditional arm-in-arm strut she’d seen noble couples do, with some thin, waifish, overdressed woman clinging to the arm of a man whom she let lead her around without question. Sure, Percy was ostensibly blind at the moment, so he really had no choice but to let her lead, but still. Vex could have this. She hopped down off the back of the cart, letting Percy step carefully down after her.
“Give Gilmore my best,” Vax called, flicking the reins to get the cart rolling once again.
“Oh I certainly can’t give him your best,” Vex responded, the heavy innuendo in her voice making Percy sigh, clearly reconsidering his choices in company. “But I’ll tell him you said hello.”
“I can just have Trinket take me,” Percy said dryly, patting the bear’s blocky head with the hand not still holding onto Vex’s arm.
“Ha!” Vex cackled, gently tugging Percy along as she began walking toward Gilmore’s. “You two would end up elbow deep in the fishmarket in a matter of minutes.”
“What’s wrong with fish?” Percy asked lightly, playing at being offended. “They’re good!”
“Ah, no wonder you and Trinket get along so well.”
They made it to Gilmore’s with minimal trouble- people really did suddenly decide to get out of your way when you bought a 700 pound grizzly bear with you. The shop was as spectacular as always, its gold embellishments glittering in the light of the setting sun in an enchanting display.
“Oh Gilmore~” Vex sang, throwing open the front door with a flourish, leading Percy into the cluttered wonderland of curios that was the greatest shop in Emon. “Could use your help, love.”
“Vex’ahlia!” Shaun Gilmore’s familiar deep voice boomed, the man himself emerging from some unseen back corner in a puff of shimmering smoke, his arms out as wide as the beaming smile across his face. “If it isn’t the other half of my favourite set of twins!” They exchanged brief, friendly kisses on the cheek in greeting before Shaun pulled back, dark eyes finally landing on Percy and gleaming with interest. “Oh? And who might this handsome face be?”
Percy flushed at the attention, and that just made Shaun’s grin grow even wider, a catlike glee burning in his eyes, and Vex saw fit to step in before the man took a bite.
“This is Percy,” Vex began, tugging him a bit closer to her side and showing him off. “He’s a dear member of Vox Machina and the reason I came in to see you today.”
“You need a reason to come see me?” Shaun gasped, holding a hand over his heart in mock offence. “You wound me, Vex’ahlia, truly.”
“I don’t need a reason,” Vex assured. “You know I adore our chats, but we’ve just returned from a rather unpleasant job and I’m afraid we are in need of your services at the moment, and catching up may have to wait. Oh, and speaking of servicing- Vax sends his best.”
Percy made a low groaning noise, looking like he wanted to sink into the floor, and Shaun laughed heartily, clapping a bejewelled hand on Vex’s shoulder.
“Tell him I send the same,” Shaun replied with a wink. “Now then! What seems to be the problem? What can I get for you?” Intelligent, critical eyes darted over Percy’s form, taking in all the information available from just the sight of him, visibly doing a double take and widening slightly at the sight of his shredded pyjama pants. “My goodness, what happened to your leg?!”
“Like I said- terrible job,” Vex replied. “We’ll tell you all about it- this may take a while.”
“Oh, do spill,” Shaun prompted eagerly, ushering them deeper into his shop, using magic to move more delicate wares out of the way as Trinket lumbered after. “But first- what is “this”, exactly? What are you looking to find? Whatever it is- I’m sure I can help.” He gave Percy a sultry wink that the human thankfully probably couldn’t see. Percy looked to Vex, almost on instinct, waiting for her to take the lead.
“I’m afraid my dear Percy lost his glasses on our job,” Vex answered, taking pity on her human’s apparent social anxiety. She couldn’t blame him- Shaun could be quite a lot for someone who wasn’t used to him. “An unfortunate encounter with a river and all that- you know how these things go.” Shaun nodded, tutting his tongue sympathetically even as the corners of his mouth remained tilted up, eyes burning with eager interest at her words. “And since he would like to be able to see again, I thought it best to bring him to you rather than take our chances with some other vendors.”
“Intelligent as always, Vex’ahlia,” Shaun responded, looking Percy up and down once again. “You’ve most definitely come to the right place. I shudder to think what sort of subpar product you’d get from some random merchant around here- come, sit!” He gestured toward a plush stool, summoned with a flourish of the hand and a puff of smoke, hovering his hand at Percy’s shoulder (but not actually touching him, Vex noted with no small amount of satisfaction) to guide him toward said stool. Another flourish of the hand called forth a chart with different sized letters. “Go ahead and read the chart, darling.”
“Um… me?” Percy questioned after a moment, gesturing to his own chest as he spoke.
“Yes you, silly,” Shaun laughed. “Unless of course our dear Vex’ahlia is also interested in getting a pair of glasses.”
“I’m fine for now,” Vex said, patting Percy lightly on the shoulder, trying to make sure he knew neither of them were actually making fun of him without verbally calling attention to it.
“Ah, right, that… makes sense,” Percy cleared his throat awkwardly, looking visibly embarrassed before straightening up on the plush stool, squinting at the chart now plastered on the wall across from him. “Um…” Vex watched him slowly deflate, clearly humiliated by his inability to follow Shaun’s command.
“Can’t read it?” Shaun asked, picking up on the problem immediately, and Percy glanced down to the floor, his hands fidgeting in his lap.
“I’m… afraid not, sorry,” he muttered, but Shaun waved him off.
“Nonsense!” The magical merchant dismissed, the golden baubles in his hair jingling slightly as he shook his head. “No need to apologise, Percival- that’s why you’re here! Now then, tell me when you can see the letters.” He snapped his fingers, and a pair of lenses floated in front of Percy’s face. After a moment of surprise, he squinted through the lenses for a second, then shook his head. Shaun took it in stride, snapping his fingers again to summon a second set, and then a third, and so on and so forth until finally, Percy perked up.
“Ah, um, there!” He exclaimed, looking pleased. “I can see the first few letters!”
“Wonderful!” Shaun encouraged. “If you would, please read aloud through what you can!”
Percy was quick to comply, reading out the first few, largest letters from the chart before stopping, sheepish once again.
“It’s… a bit fuzzy after that,” he admitted, and Shaun nodded, scribbling something down quickly on a pad of parchment he’d pulled from who knows where.
They repeated that process through several more iterations, with the summoned lenses seeming to grow more and more accurate each time, letting Percy read a little further through the chart of letters as Shaun’s eyebrows steadily grew higher and higher on his face.
“Good gods,” he muttered, summoning in what must’ve been somewhere around the 30th set of lenses. “Honey, how have you been surviving?” He clearly hadn’t meant it as any sort of insult or jab, but Percy’s shoulders hunched nonetheless, his face twisting unhappily.
“Don’t ask me,” he replied dryly. “That’s a question far better suited for Vex. She’s been the one keeping my sorry self at least mostly intact these past few days- if I’d been left to my own devices I’d be dead… what, three times over, now?”
“Oh, three is pushing it,” Vex argued, keeping her tone light and playful in the hopes of warding off that self deprecating darkness she could see seeping into her human’s expression. “You had that wolf on the ropes, darling, I’m telling you. I just finished him off for you.” Percy snorted a small puff of air out from his nose at that, not quite smiling, but not looking so miserable anymore.
“I’m sorry, there are wolves involved now?!” Shaun jumped in, leaning against a nearby bureau with wide eyes. “Oh, you two are killing me here. Rodrigo!” A small, blue, amorphous creature came floating in, blinking at Shaun with two ovular spots of light that Vex assumed were eyes. “Be a dear, would you, and get some tea started for our guests. We have a lot to discuss!”
The unknown creature… nodded? It was difficult to put a name to gestures and the like with a being that lacked any distinctive features, but it looked like a nod, and the creature floated away shortly after, so Vex would have to just leave it at that.
They went through the lens swapping process for a little while longer until finally, Percy was able to read all the way through the chart, looking visibly relieved by that fact. Shaun asked Percy for specifics about his glasses- little intricacies and details about how he’d like them to turn out- sketching a model of the aforementioned frames as he did so, a stretch of measuring tape with what seemed to be a mind of its own flitting around Percy’s head all the while. Though Vex was completely lost as far as the conversation went (seriously- who knew that something as deceptively simple as a few thin pieces of metal and two pieces of glass could be so damn complicated?), she was delighted to see Percy opening up a bit. Shaun was charismatic to the core, and had finally managed to get the normally aloof, quiet gunslinger to start babbling about foggy frames and uncomfortable nose and ear pieces, etc. He even (a bit nervously) suggested a little flair add on for the glasses, which Shaun was more than happy to add to the design.
“Alright!” Shaun declared, whisking the final drawing away with a flick of his wrist, clapping his hands cheerily. “It’ll be a short while until those are done, so until then-” a particularly vibrant explosion of smoke transformed the small area of the shop where they were gathered into a sitting area, the stool beneath Percy morphing into an equally cushy little loveseat, which Shaun gestured toward, prompting Vex to sit beside her human as he himself took seat in a plush armchair. He folded his hands together, his fingers twisting around each other to form a little platform upon which he rested his chin, grinning at them devilishly. “Talk.”
Vex gladly did so, beginning to divulge the sordid tale of the past several days with plenty of dramatic flare, egged on by Shaun’s gasps of disbelief, theatrical facial expressions, and occasional loud commentary. Percy seemed content to just sit and listen for the most part, leaning back in the loveseat and watching her with an unreadable, yet pleasant seeming expression. Shaun had left the lenses floating in front of Percy’s face, and it seemed the gunslinger was just enjoying being able to see things clearly again, even if through makeshift means. He piped in with his own comments every now and then, but otherwise just sat there, listening.
“So, what is this “pepperbox” you keep mentioning?” Shaun asked, cutting in once Vex stopped to take a breath while describing the bandit encounter. The amorphous creature from before returned then, somehow carrying a pair of trays- one with a teapot and three mugs, and the other with an array of small snacks- setting them down on the table between them. “Oh, thank you Rodrigo. Please, go ahead- enjoy! But, back to my earlier inquiry, I’m afraid I’m not familiar with this “pepperbox” you speak of? I’m to understand it’s a weapon of some sort, yes?”
“Oh, um, yes,” Percy answered, speaking up when Vex looked to him to answer. It was his invention, after all- he was far better suited to explain it than her. “It’s an invention of mine, a ranged weapon. It’s like an… automated crossbow, I suppose? I apologise, I’m uncertain of how best to describe it. Perhaps a miniature cannon might be a more apt comparison.”
Shaun was instantly intrigued, setting down the mug of steaming tea in his hand (something herbal that Vex couldn’t quite put a finger on, with a lovely bit of spice to it), leaning in eagerly.
“Miniature canon, you say?” He echoed, eyebrows raised eye above his shaded eyes. “I’d love to see it- any chance you have it on you?”
That was something of a moment of truth, as it were. Percy looked to Vex cautiously, blue eyes clouded in a silent question, and Vex thought for a moment before slowly, somewhat hesitantly pulling The List from her bag. Doubt flared up in her gut the moment she did so, since she could see with crystal clarity the exact second Percy’s gaze fell upon his weapon, and it made her… uncomfortable, in a way she couldn’t quite name. There was something almost akin to hunger in his eyes, suddenly focused with unblinking attention on the pepperbox, and she watched as his hands curled and uncurled, long fingers gripping and twisting the fabric of his coat. There was a slight tremor to his form, the kind born from an immense amount of restraint, and in that moment he reminded Vex of a starving animal staring down a piece of meat. It was almost frightening, if she was being honest. That look in his eye didn’t belong to the sweet, awkward, nervous human she’d come to know, and it scared her.
She was probably overthinking it. That was a lot to read into a facial expression, honestly. She was working herself up over nothing. With how much he’d been through these past few days, it was only natural that he’d be eager to get his best method of defence back. It was nothing.
She tried to convince herself that wasn’t all just wishful thinking as she (somewhat hesitantly) held the weapon out for Percy to take. He did not make a lunge for her, but Vex could tell that was only thanks to an immense amount of self control on his part, and the energy with which he snatched it away revealed his eagerness. He clung to it like it was something precious, staring intently, spinning the barrel and tracing his fingers over the instrument, searching.
“Fascinating,” Shaun breathed, and Vex knew the man well enough to be pretty confident that the sudden change in energy hadn’t gone unnoticed, but he was carrying on as usual regardless, which was almost certainly for the best. “You made that yourself?”
“Huh?” And just like that, Percy was back. He blinked, his overall demeanour that of a person just snapped out from a daydream before he collected himself, looking to Shaun with his usual slightly awkward energy, not a trace of that odd, predatory intensity to be seen. “Oh, uh, yes, I did.”
“May I see it?” Shaun asked, and Percy visibly bristled, clutching The List to his chest and curling in around it defensively. Vex had the distinct impression that the only way he’d be letting anybody touch that weapon was over his cold, dead body, and even then he may very well return as a Revenant to get it back. She was preparing to warn Shaun of that fact, but the merchant was way ahead of her. “It’s alright if the answer is no, darling,” Shaun continued, laughing casually. “I can completely understand not wanting to hand over valuables to someone you’ve just met- especially not if that little invention of yours is as intricate as it seems.”
“I… would prefer to keep a hold of it, yes,” Percy admitted, relaxing once Shaun made it clear he would be making no moves toward trying to take it from him.
“Perfectly understandable,” Shaun shrugged, still smiling. “I can look with my eyes, not my hands- and I must say, my eyes are quite impressed! You’re saying you forged it yourself and everything?”
“Yes, I did,” Percy answered, straightening up a bit, always eager to talk about his inventions. “There was a blacksmith kind enough to let me use his forge and some materials in exchange for some relatively minor help around his home and facilities. Are… you a craftsman, by any chance?” A hint of hope flickered in his eyes, and Vex knew Shaun could see it, too.
“Unfortunately not,” Shaun answered. “I’ve always been far more skilled in the magical arts than the manual, however, I do consider myself to have quite the discerning eye. How does it work?”
Any disappointment at not having found a fellow tinkerer was quickly snuffed out by excitement at the prospect of getting to discuss his inventions, and Percy launched into a lengthy, somewhat rambling explanation of the mechanics behind The List. Vex couldn’t say she understood much of what he was talking about, and from the look of it, Shaun didn’t either, but they both listened intently nonetheless, with Shaun nodding along and watching carefully as Percy showed off the individual pieces of his pepperbox.
“That’s incredible,” Shaun applauded, once Percy finally seemed to have come to the end of his little presentation. “Such an intricate work of machinery… in fact, you’ve reminded me of something.” He paused for a moment, staring into nothing like he was searching for something none of the rest of them could see before snapping his fingers and summoning what looked to be a metal mouse, only a bit larger than a real one might be.
“What is that?” Percy asked, and Vex couldn’t help but smile at the childish intrigue on his face, her human leaning forward with naked fascination in his eyes.
“Well, as of right now, it’s a useless hunk of metal,” Shaun snorted. “However, the young lady I purchased it from some number of years ago insisted her late father had made it move when he invented it. Poor dear was selling off what she could to try and make some coin for her family, so even though I had my doubts, I couldn’t possibly say no. Indeed, I’ve looked at it closer, and found it’s full of little mechanisms, but, technically challenged as I am, I’ve never managed to make it work, myself. I’ve all but written it off by this point, to tell you the truth, but…” He let himself trail off, dark eyes glancing up to Percy, who was practically dancing in his seat.
“Would you mind if I took a look?” Percy asked, and even if that hadn’t been Shaun’s plan all along, no one would be able to say no to that hopeful face.
“By all means,” Shaun grinned, handing the metal mouse over to Percy, who accepted it with reverence, tucking The List into his coat and cradling the metal mouse in his hands like it was some precious treasure, turning it over carefully. “Feel free to open it up, if you’d like. It’s already non-functional, so it’s not as if anything you can do to it will make it any worse.”
“Thank you,” Percy breathed, gratefully placing the metal mouse down upon the tiny table Shaun summoned for him, already lined with a series of small, thin metal tools that Vex couldn’t name.
“It’s no problem, love,” Shaun said easily, smiling at the already enraptured Percy, who’d pried off the panel on the metal mouse’s stomach and begun poking at the insides. The merchant shot Vex a look, raising an eyebrow before glancing pointedly toward Percy then back at her again, bouncing his eyebrow and smirking, knowingly, giving her a short nod. Vex just made the same face back, bouncing her own eyebrows in a manner that may have been considered suggestive. “Anyways,” Shaun continued. “What was that you were saying about bandits?”
Vex launched back into her retelling of their terrible job, and had just made it to their departure from the outpost town when the amorphous blue creature (Rodrigo, Vex reminded herself) returned once again, a bit of a bounce to its float as it carried in a shiny new pair of glasses. They were round, rimmed with gold, just like his last pair, but Vex immediately noticed a new addition in the form of a second set of little glass circles at the outer edges of both lenses, attached by a hinge each.
“Oh Percy~” Vex sang, nudging into her human, catching his attention from where he was still fully entrenched in his tinkering with the metal mouse. He blinked, looking over toward her and consequently Rodrigo, brightening instantly at the sight of the new frames. Rodrigo held them out for him to take, and he did, eagerly.
“How do they look, Percival?” Shaun asked, smiling. “Everything you’d hoped for and more?”
“They look perfect,” Percy exclaimed, tilting them around to get a look from every angle, beaming in a way Vex would love to see more often.
“Want to try them on for size?” Shaun inquired, snapping his fingers to remove the lenses he’d had hovering in front of Percy’s face at the gunslinger’s nod. Percy slipped the frames up over his ears and nose, blinking a few times and looking around the room.
“Well?” Vex asked, and it was hard to overstate just how wonderful it was to see him look at her with actual, obvious recognition in his eyes. “There you are,” she giggled, the words soft and affectionate and slipping out without her having meant to speak them, her hand coming up to poke at his nose, only giggling harder when his eyes crossed to try and follow her finger.
“They’re wonderful!” Percy smiled, turning to Shaun and bowing slightly. “I can’t thank you enough, Mr. Gilmore.”
“Ha! Mr. Gilmore?!” Shaun laughed. “Goodness, you make me sound so old!”
“Oh, no, I didn’t mean to-!”
“Relax, darling,” Shaun waved dismissively. “It’s no trouble. Just ‘Gilmore’ is fine, Percival. I’m glad you like how they turned out.”
“Of course!” Percy nodded rapidly. “How much do I owe you?”
Shaun quoted them a price that couldn’t possibly have been correct, and both Percy and Vex blinked in confusion.
“You know me, darling,” Vex began carefully. “You know how much I love a good deal, but even I think that sounds surprisingly low.”
“I try to give a discount to new customers,” Shaun explained. “Especially when they’re pretty.” He shot Percy a wink that made the gunslinger flush, and laughed. “I find it makes people more inclined to come back. Besides, I always love a good story, and I charge less for friends.”
“I… thank you,” Percy said softly, rummaging around in his coat pockets before his flush turned a deeper shade of red and he turned to Vex, sheepish. “I, um, gave you all of my money.”
“Ho ho!” Shaun hooted, his obvious delight only serving to make Percy look all the more embarrassed. “Now why on earth would you do that, dear Percival?”
“It… seemed like a good idea at the time,” Percy muttered, fidgeting with his coat sleeves. “I owed her a great deal- still do, in fact- so it only seemed fair.”
“Ah well that’s entirely understandable,” Shaun mused, a catlike smile spread across his face. “Giving her all of your money is just the proper response to someone like Vex’ahlia, isn’t it?”
“Ah, Gilmore, you always know just what to say,” Vex hummed, pulling the startlingly low amount of gold out from the coin pouch on her person. “Here you are, darling.”
“Pleasure doing business with you,” Shaun waved the coins away, vanishing them to whatever hoard he kept his sales in. “If you aren’t in too much of a hurry, loves, I would very much appreciate hearing the rest of the story.”
It was pitch black outside by that point, but Vex didn’t hear any screaming or smell any smoke or detect any other signs that the rest of their party had gotten into some horrible trouble, so she figured it was fine to continue chatting with Shaun. She launched back into her story as Percy broke in his new glasses by returning his attentions to the now largely dismantled metal mouse, sifting through a series of tiny, fine gears.
“Ah- ha!” Percy blurted out loudly, startling Shaun and Vex both right as Vex had finally gotten around to explaining the situation with the wolves. He seemed to have startled himself, too, clearly not having meant to be that loud, and he blushed, looking at them awkwardly. “Er, sorry.”
“What’s got you so excited, darling?” Vex chuckled, and though Percy looked sheepish, he still looked enthusiastic, a small smile on his lips lighting up the room brighter than any of the many burning lamps could.
“I think I figured it out, is all,” Percy explained, nodding to the dismantled metal mouse. “It actually looks to have been a relatively simple problem. There’s this piece, here,” he held up a tiny metal bar with little holes on each end, “it’s supposed to connect from the central mass to the back right leg, to make it move, but it was attached with a screw that seems to have worked itself loose over time. The screw fell out, so the bar disconnected, meaning the leg couldn’t move anymore, and the screw itself got lodged in some of the other gears, which caused enough damage to prevent it from being able to wind properly. If I just pull the screw out, replace it, and replace the damaged gears, that should fix it. I think, at least. I can’t say for certain, obviously, but just from looking at how everything seems to fit together, that seems to be the most likely answer.”
“Well I’ll be damned,” Shaun whistled. “Can’t say that I know any of the specific specs for the parts in there, but I’ve got quite the assortment here.” He snapped his fingers, summoning a box filled to the brim with small metal gears, and another full of tiny screws. “Go crazy.”
Percy looked like a child that’d just been dropped into a candy store, eyes wide and amazed as he began rooting through the boxes with enthusiasm, pulling out pieces and holding them up to compare against the ones he was looking to replace.
Vex wasn’t sure how long they ended up staying there, her and Shaun chatting amongst themselves happily as Trinket snoozed on the carpet and Percy tinkered away, looking happy and at ease in the way he had after his bath the other day- which reminded her that they should probably arrange another of those tonight.
An audible click and Percy practically bouncing in place made Vex look over, only to see that the parts all sprawled across the mini table were gone, and the little metal mouse looked to be in one piece once again, up on its feet and with the winding key stuck in its back. She could see Shaun’s attention had been grabbed, too, and they both watched with keen interest as Percy twisted the key, waiting with bated breath to see if it’d worked.
For a moment, nothing happened, and Vex could see Percy’s face beginning to fall, only for his eyes to light up once more as the metal mouse rose to stand. It was slow, jerky, its movements heralded by audible clicks and snaps as it stumbled clumsily along the table, its gait stiff and unlike any natural creature. But it was still moving, managing to make it all the way to the end of the table before Percy gently picked it up and turned it around, letting it stagger back the other way before it stuttered to a stop, lowering back down to lay on its stomach as it had before, immobile once again.
“What have you bought me, Vex’ahlia?” Shaun crowed, shaking his head slowly in amazement, looking at Percy with a combination disbelief and delight. Percy looked over to Vex, absolutely beaming, and Vex smiled back. If it made him this happy, Vex would buy every metal mouse on the material plane.
“He’s incredible, isn’t he?” Vex answered, well aware of the boasting hint to her voice as she rubbed her side into Percy’s, snuggling her human close like she was showing him off. Probably because she was, come to think of it.
“Any chance you’d be willing to work out a joint custody arrangement?” Shaun joked, and Vex glared at him playfully, wrapping her arms around Percy, pulling his head down into her chest defensively.
“He’s mine!” She rebutted, her tone the rough verbal equivalent of sticking her tongue out. “You can’t have him!” Percy made a small, barely audible noise that just made Vex want to squeeze him harder, so she did, nuzzling her chin into his hair.
“Alright, alright,” Shaun conceded, throwing his hands up in defeat. “You never were one for sharing, Vex’ahlia, and in this case I really can’t blame you. Just promise to bring him back sometime, alright?”
“Oh you know it, darling,” Vex replied, releasing Percy from her grasp, ruffling his hair when he straightened back up to his full height from where he’d been hunched over in her embrace. “I’m certain we’ll be back.”
“I’ll hold you to it.”
“You won’t have to,” Vex assured, rising to her feet and dusting herself off, offering her hand to help Percy up after her. “I’m afraid we’ll have to take our leave now, though. I hate to imagine what sort of chaos our friends could have gotten into without supervision these past few hours.”
“By all means, please,” Shaun laughed, gesturing for them leave. “Go save the city.”
“Um, here,” Percy offered, holding the now functional metal mouse out to Shaun, but the merchant held his hand up, shaking his head.
“No, no, darling- it’s all yours,” Shaun smiled. “You’re the one who got it working. Take a few of the gears, too. A talent like you’ve got, I bet you can make it even better.”
Percy looked starstruck, his mouth opening and closing without making a sound, so Vex just thanked Shaun for him, clapping loud enough to rouse Trinket and leading them both to the exit, Percy still cradling the metal mouse in his hands like it was a baby. He waved goodbye to Shaun with more sincerity than Vex had ever seen him do so before, blushing when the man blew a kiss to them before closing the door to his shop, leaving the three of them standing out on the darkened streets alone. Or rather, as alone as one could ever be in a city like Emon.
“Well, I don’t see any smoke rising, so that’s a good sign,” Vex joked (half joked, really, knowing their track record). “Shall we head to the inn, then? Take a bath, change clothes, all those good things?”
“That would be lovely,” Percy agreed softly, following after Vex as she lead the way. “I, um, I see why you all like him so much.”
“Who, Gilmore?” Vex asked, laughing aloud when Percy nodded, his pale cheeks flushed ever so slightly. “Awww, do you have a crush, darling? I can’t blame you- Shaun Gilmore has that effect on everybody.”
“A crush?! Wh- no! No, I’m not- not attracted to him!” Percy sputtered. “I just- he- he’s very… charismatic! That’s all!”
“Relax, Percy, I was only playing with you.” Vex turned her attention to the tiny machine cradled in his hands. “So, what’s its name?”
“I’m sorry?” Percy looked confused by the sudden change in topic, so Vex nodded toward the automaton in question.
“The mouse,” she clarified. “You name all of your inventions, and that’s the first cute one. Don’t tell me you weren’t planning to name him!”
“Who says its a ‘he’?” Percy rebutted, smiling wryly before glancing down at the automaton again, that smile slowly dropping into something much more morose. “...Ludwig,” he said finally, his voice soft and reflective in a way that let Vex know immediately the name meant something to him.
“Ludwig,” she repeated, her voice losing the humour it’d had in response to the sudden sadness in his eyes. “That’s a nice name. I wish you and Ludwig the best, then.”
“Thank you.”
They walked through the darkened streets in amicable silence after that, headed toward the inn where they’d been staying recently. It was a hole in the wall, honestly, but it let them reserve rooms for days even when they’d be out on a job, and they could afford it, so it would have to do.
The sound of several running footsteps ringing out against the cobblestone made them both look up, and Vex’s stomach sank at the sight of her friends and brother racing down the street toward them. Their faces looked varying degrees of horrified and/or nervous, and they all seemed just as startled to see Vex and Percy as Vex and Percy were to see them.
“Oh, hey guys!” Scanlan squeaked, his voice coming out way too high to be reassuring. “Fancy seeing you here!”
“What did you do?” Vex demanded, and none of them would look at her. Grog was splattered with blood and looked particularly guilty, like a dog that had just urinated on the carpet of its master’s home, and Vex chose to focus her ire on him, making him shift uncomfortably beneath her gaze, fidgeting with his (also bloody) axe sheepishly. “I’m sorry, maybe my question wasn’t clear enough. I asked: what. did. you. do?”
“Grogkilledtheguywhohiredusandtherewasnooneelsetheretoseebutsomeone’sgonnafindhisbodyatsomepointsowe’regrabbingourstuffandmakingarunforitandmovingtoanotherinnorsomethingjustsowecanbeoutoftheareawhensomeonefindshimandwewerecomingtogetyouguysbutnowyou’rehereso-” Keyleth blurted, her words coming out one long unintelligible stream of nervous nonsense until Vex held a hand up to silence her.
“Keyleth, darling, you have to speak slower,” Vex groaned. “Now, am I wrong, or did I hear the words “Grog killed” somewhere in all that mess?”
“Grog thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and decapitate the man who hired us,” Vax snapped, glaring back at the barbarian with clear irritation.
“Hey!” Grog protested. “It was an accident! I said I was sorry!”
“We’ve been over this, buddies,” Pike sighed, looking up to her friend with gentle exasperation. “Dead bodies don’t understand “sorry”. They don’t understand anything, because they’re dead.”
“That’s not my fault,” Grog grumbled, pouting.
“Are you… kidding me?!” Percy yelled, any and all of the easygoing calm he’d been displaying before gone completely out the window in the face of much more familiar fury. “We leave you alone for a few hours, and you kill somebody?! What is wrong with you?! Wh- Pike!” He looked to the cleric in disbelief, and she scowled.
“Hey, don’t blame this on me!” She spat back. “I tried to stop him! By the time I realised what was about to happen that guys head was already on the floor.”
“I said I was sorry!” Grog exclaimed again, looking genuinely upset. “Please don’ be mad, Pikey! I didn’ mean to kill ‘im! He just got in the way!”
They all continued arguing even as they entered the inn, probably disturbing the other residents as they retrieved their stuff, cutting and running as they always did, throwing down enough gold on the counter to pay their tab and fleeing into the night, headed for the opposite side of town from where their former employer had met his unfortunate end. When Vax mentioned that said employer’s untimely death had also meant they didn’t get paid, Vex was ready to kill them all, and it looked like Percy was much in the same boat.
The next inn they found was even seedier than the last, but the irritated looking keeper let them in without question, and didn’t ask for much gold, so it would have to do. The sight of the dingy looking rooms they were to be staying in seemed to sour Percy’s mood even further, and Vex just sighed.
Here was hoping they’d be able to get another job sometime soon. And here was extra hoping it wouldn’t be as dangerous as the last.