Chapter Text
The next morning, Vex huffed as she rolled over to silence her alarm, which had been going off for almost a minute. As she lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, she reflected on all the life choices that had brought her to this moment in time, and she groaned to the heavens.
She’d lost track of how many times she’d woken up with tears in her eyes since the accident in Emon; the one that had sent them to the hospital, and killed so many others. She’d gotten quite good at not thinking about it during the day when she had things to do. However, any time she had a moment of respite, the thoughts would return, and return they often did, because distractions were few and far between.
She no longer had a job to get her out of the house. Her broken wrist made it difficult to walk Trinket farther than a few blocks a day. She didn’t have much to snack on, since the household had gone in “emergency mode” and they were only buying eggs, rice, lentils, and protein flour. Socializing was out of the question as well. Percy was gone, Vax was still working double shifts at BigMart most days, Keleth had left for the Ashari, Tiberius was busy studying with friends when he wasn’t in class, Scanlan was presumably busy prepping for his next show, and Pike was still in the hospital, with Grog keeping a close eye on her when he wasn’t working.
Yet even in her sedentary existence, her life felt less like a depressed stroll through an empty park and more like a full-on run-for-her-life from Shila Buff. It had been nearly a whole day and the team still wasn’t cooperating, or at least not to the extent that would have given her peace. Keyleth had not yet responded to the group chat, and neither had Grog nor Scanlan in any useful manner. Pike certainly could not respond, and Vax was being a little asshole about it. Really, the only person who had given her a satisfactory reply so far was Tiberius, though his answer had been less than inspiring.
22:56 Tibs: My dear compatriots. After much sweat, tears, and planning, I can now confidently say that I will have concluded my thesis by the end of the semester. With the sources I have collected while journeying with you all, I am now prepared to defend my work in front of the judgement of my colleagues back in Draconia, where I am sure to be praised for my research. This means that I shall not be joining you in Emon, as I will be leaving for my homeland at the end of the semester. I will be sure to say goodbye properly before the end. Do not fret.
She would not deny it was great news to hear about Tib’s success, surely. However, that also implied they were now down by two people, and it hadn’t even been twenty four hours...
***
After nearly a week of nothing happening at all, Vex wondered just how much more she was going to have to do to find peace.
19:13 Vex: IMPORTANT: Okay folks, I told you all nearly a week ago that I need those contracts by Tuesday. What is going on?
19: 14 Scanlan: I’m going to Emon.
19: 14: Grog: I dunno yet. Waiting on
Vex scrunched her nose at the incomplete text message and ground her teeth. She waited for a few minutes longer before writing again.
19:19 Vex: Unless someone needs my help with scanning or something, could you please send me those completed contracts by tomorrow evening if you’re planning on going to Emon?
The silence was not inspiring, but there was little she could do but wait at this point.
About an hour later, while Vex was trying to enjoy a shower, her phone vibrated again. Excited, she stepped out of the curtain so she could look at the text immediately, only to roll her eyes into her skull and growl audibly as she read the message.
20:34 Keyleth: Deported!!!1!?
Vex turned off her phone and stepped back into the shower, singing away any anger she could ward off. Scanlan would be proud. They technically still had some time, but the longer they took, the more it started to feel like Vax was right about not trusting the team. It was a hard pill to swallow, but not one she was incapable of taking.
***
The twins had both found themselves napping in the afternoon when Vex was woken up by what sounded like barking at first. Vax was too much of a heavy sleeper for the noise to wake him, but it had certainly gotten Vex and Trinket’s attention.
As she focused in on the ruckus, she soon realized it wasn’t barking, but a man yelling.
And more specifically, Grog.
With Trinket by her side, Vex opened their front door and marched out onto the outer walkway in her slippers, wondering what the fuck was going on, only to see Grog jogging up the stairs at great speed shouting like a mad man.
“PIKE IS AWAKE!”
“Holy shit...” Vex muttered, feeling a conflicted combination of confusion and abject joy.
With Grog storming down the corridor at an aggressive pace, Vex dogged out of the way as he flew through the open door, his booming voice echoing through the tiny little apartment. Even Trinket seemed to want to join in on the chaos, jumping up and down and barking up a storm.
“C’mon everyone! Let’s go see Pike!” Grog cried.
“Keep it down Grog. Trinket, sit,” Vex whispered firmly, trying to model good behavior. “You’re gonna bring down the whole apartment.”
“Fucking hells…” Vax said as he wandered into the living room, rubbing his eyes. “What happened to waiting for someone to wake up and see their texts?”
Vex turned to Grog, feeling hope for the first time in days. “Is Pike really conscious? As in, we can go see her today?
“That’s wot I just said!” Grog squeaked. “Wanna go see ‘er now?”
“Of course we do,” Vax said with a huff, the frustration of being woken up still shaking him up.
“Oh Grog, we’d love that… But we need to get ready so please, sit quiet for just a little longer.”
Although somewhat frazzled by the messenger, the news of Pike’s awakening was the best thing that had happened to Vex all day. She was as close to ecstatic as one could be in times like these, and she could not wait to see Pike and simply enjoy her aura for a few moments before having to tell her about the whole deportation situation.
As the twins got ready to leave, Grog turned to Vex and scratched his head. “Want me to carry you down the stairs?” He asked, sounding genuine.
Vex was confused by the offer, though she tried to be polite. “I appreciate the help,” she said, glancing down at Grog’s four-seater truck still running in the parking lot as she locked the apartment. “But I can walk.”
“Now Vex, not to dis your amazing skills, but ‘oppin down stairs with one leg might get messy, and I can only handle one of mah friends in the ‘ospital at a time.”
Vex’s expression went flat as she realized his confusion, lifting her cast with a raised brow and pointing at it.
Grog stared at her from head to toe, then toe to head, then head to toe once more, before his eyes narrowed and he swore under his breath “Every fokin time…”
***
When Vax and Vex arrived at the hospital, Wilhand and Scanlan were already in the waiting room of the Seranrae branch of Westuruun’s hospital.
“About time. What took you so long?” Scanlan scolded, clearly all too eager to see Pike.
“Didn’t know napping was such a crime,” Vax replied, snark intensifying.
The waiting area run by Seranrae was light and airy, with white stone walls and brick detail. In the center of the room, two semi circles of chairs surrounded a centerpiece of plants and one large tree, which all got their sun from a skylight directly above them.
Apparently, Pike had been undergoing special treatment while under the supervision of Seranrae, with many of the doctors knowing Pike personally as an intern. Vex didn’t know much about Seranrae, but if Pike trusted the institution as much as she did, it couldn’t be all bad. They were a well known charitable research institution which relied on donations and private funding to perform their mission. People being served at Seranrae were never charged for treatment, travel, housing, or food, and always got state of the art service. In fact, it was how they had all managed to get treated back in Emon for free.
“Wilhand, it’s so good to see you again.” Vex said, smiling at Pike’s grandfather as they approached him.
“It’s been a while,” Vax said as he greeted him with a hug, hunching over to reach the little old man.
Wilhand was spry for his age, though reaching well beyond eighty years, he certainly showed signs of wisdom with his snow-white receding hairline and large spectacles framing beady little eyes hooded by age. Still, Westruun had treated him well, and he enjoyed his life there. He had many friends in the city, and was seen as a bit of a neighborhood leader, sharing his wisdom and homemade brew with all who would care to listen to a story or two. He had also worked for Seranrae in his earlier years, having given his own membership pendant to Pike upon her decision to join, or at least, that is how Vex remembered the story. It’s no wonder Pike had turned out the way she did. Wilhand was definitely a role model, if not for the mild alcoholism paired with a case of diabetes.
“It’s good to see you too, friends. These have been troubling times for you. Grog told me about the deportation.”
“Right…” So Grog did know what was going on. “We are still working that out.”
Vex took her time trying her best to explain the situation without making it seem like things were absolutely miserable, not wanting Wilhand to worry. He seemed to understand, though he didn’t appear all that concerned, or even surprised. Perhaps it was hard to be shaken by anything at that age.
“I would say the one thing I still need from Grog is the contract he needs to complete before we leave,” Vex said in a desperate attempt to move things along.
“Ah yes yes…” Wilhand turned to Grog, who wasn’t paying attention to the conversation, too distracted by something in the decorative shrubs. “He was trying to tell me something about that the other day. I’ll be sure to give him a hand since Pike still isn’t in tip top shape.”
“I hope it isn’t too much of a hassle. Thank you.”
“Oh course. Though I am deeply saddened he’s leaving. I know my Pikey will want to go too, I can feel it.”
Vex tried to hide a cringe. “Oh, well we don’t know that...” she said with only a modicum of confidence, smiling through gritted teeth. Of course she wanted Pike to go with them, but the notion of leaving Wilhand all alone felt…complicated.
“Of course I would never stop her,” he continued. “She should go where opportunities take her, and Emon’s Seranrae branch is ever expanding.”
Vex sighed, once again finding things growing more complicated by the minute. “Well, she’s not on a rushed timeline like us, so she has plenty of time to think about it.”
The dice were thrown now. It was just a matter of how they would fall.
****
When it was finally time for them to visit Pike, the team entered the room cautiously at first. However, as soon as they heard their comrade's voice on the other side of the threshold, they immediately rushed to see her.
“Oh my gosh, guys!” Pike exclaimed, her single visible eye widening at the sudden sight of the party.
“Pike!” Everyone said in chorus, huddling around her with tears in their eyes. It felt like that final scene in the Lord of the Rings, but less epic, of course.
“Who brought the flowers?” Scanlan asked rather suddenly as he wrestled his way to the front of the love huddle.
“Oh yeah,” Pike smiled. “Those were brought by my supervisor and coworkers at Sarenrae”
Vax snorted. “Can’t even begin to imagine having a job where my boss brings me flowers”.
“One can dream…” Vex muttered.
“Chase that dream!” Pike exclaimed, pumping her fist.
It really was Pike. It felt like it had been forever since they had seen her, even if it had only been a few weeks. Her hair – which had been shaved on one side – was already starting to grow back a silvery blonde color, which contrasted starkly against her dyed black and purple hair. She still had a pretty extensive eyepatch over her eye, but aside from that, she looked surprisingly fresh and lively.
“Where is everyone else?” Pike looked at the group wide eyed, almost as if she were a little scared. It made sense; she probably didn’t know about the status of the others after the accident, so bringing her up to speed would be necessary.
Vex tried to keep it cool, despite feeling something twirling in her gut at the mention of those missing. “Keyleth left for the Ashari to work as soon as she came back to Westruun. We’re not sure when she’ll be back. Tiberius is busy working with his classmates on his thesis. He comes back every now and then to pick something up from the van, but otherwise he’s staying in his friend’s guest room. And Percy… well he left without much of an explanation about a week ago. Haven’t heard from him since.”
“Oh…” Pike blinked for a moment, as if processing all the information. “That’s a lot to take in.” There was a brief pause before her smile returned. “But I hope everyone is okay wherever they are now. It’s good to see you all at least.”
“How have they been treating you here Pikey?” Vax asked, glancing around the sterile white room set to warm yellow and orange mood lighting.
“Not too bad, not too bad at all. Though I gotta say, I chewed my first meal in a while and even I can tell the food isn’t great.”
“Argh, that won't do! We gotta feed ya once you’re out” Grog replied.
“You know when they’re releasing you?” Scanlan asked.
“If all goes well, by the end of next week! They just need to wait to make sure the implant took well. I can recover the rest of the time at home.”
“Implant?” Scanlan quirked a brow.
“Oh right…” Pike smiled bashfully, pointing at her eyepatch. “I…lost my eye in the attack…”
The room gasped audibly, and Scanlan looked like he was about to faint, but Pike seemed to want to make light of the matter.
“But but! When my condition was reported to Seranrae, I was selected for a medical trial, and I agreed to it this afternoon. Apparently, I’m a perfect candidate for this brand new cybernetic eye that does all sorts of neat new things like heat vision and even night vision, and there are only five prototypes of this type of cybernetic eye in all of Tal'dorei.”
“Like a superhero!” Grog exclaimed, clapping his hands.
“That’s amazing Pike,” Vex said, even if still somewhat shaken by the news.
“Honestly, I feel pretty honored... I just hope I’m not taking the spot of someone who needs it more.”
Vex understood Pike’s trepidation. Seranrae was known for being leaders of medical research, sharing their findings for free all across Exandria. It made them an invaluable machine in the race against injury and disease. However, this also meant that their resources were often limited, so the fact that Pike could be there at all was a blessing in itself.
“I’m sure Seranrae knows what they’re doing,” Vex said with hopeful confidence. “Are you nervous?”
“A little. But the surgery is quick and recovery can be done at home so I’m scheduled for that tomorrow.”
“That’s soon,” Grog muttered.
“We have your back sweetheart,” Wilhand said, holding Pike’s hand.
“Baby, you’ve got us,” Scanlan sing-songed with a wink.
“Always,” Vax added.
“You guys...” Pike said with a tear forming in her eye before wiping it quickly. “I would say I’ve missed you, but the last thing I remember was walking in Emon heading to get blueberry pancakes, or was it waffles? I don’t remember.”
There it was again. Emon. The mere mention of it sent shivers down Vex’s spine; a feeling of fear and excitement all melded into one dreadful beast.
“Speaking of Emon,” Vex’s dropped the chipper mask as reality sank in.
Pike perked up. “What’s up?”
Vex swallowed once, realizing the extent of the news and finding it suddenly overwhelming. “Maybe it would be easier if you just read the group text.”
“Here’s your phone. Been keeping it for ya,” Willhand said with another wrinkled smile.
As Pike read the text quickly, her expression morphed from curious to utterly shocked, and Vex held her breath as she awaited the inevitable reaction to the news.
“Wait so…you’re all leaving in a month?” Pike asked, wide eyed. “Grog, you gotta leave too?”
“I’m a criminal Pike,” Grog said, staring down at his feet. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
“He really didn’t,” Vax spoke up, the guilt on his face ever growing. “He was mostly just dragged along.”
“In fact, we could probably try to make the argument to let him stay,” Scanlan added.
Pike simply shook her head slowly, jaw lax. “I…don’t know what to say. This is all so sudden.”
“There’s no need to worry about it now,” Vex reassured tentatively. “But just know that it’s something that is coming up.”
The group remained silent for a moment as they waited for Pike’s to gather her thoughts, before Wilhand spoke up.
“You know Pike…Emon does have a very prolific Seranrae branch.”
Pike blinked, as if snapped out of a daze. “I know…”
“And this could be a reason to apply-”
“But I don’t want to leave you here all alone! That’s crazy talk Grandpappy.”
The group held their breath as they awaited Wilhand’s inevitable stubbornness to take hold.
“You know very damn well I can take care of myself!” He said, stomping his cane on the ground once. “Hells, with my retirement and moonshine business, I’m gonna get myself one of those fancy drone butlers. Just you watch.”
“Okay okay! Gods.” Pike rested her face in her palm. “I’ll…think about it.”
“Good,” Wilhand smiled sweetly, passion flipping on a dime. “No pressure, of course.”
Of course, the pressure was unimaginable. Moving was never an easy process, even when you knew where you were going. Vex didn’t want Pike to think she had to pick between them and her family.
“Pike, if it means anything,” Vex spoke up. “We would love to stay in touch with you, no matter what you end up doing. We have your back.”
“Aw Vex… that means a lot to me. I care about you guys. I hope you know that.”
This was exactly why Vex had been excited to see Pike. She knew Pike cared about the group as much as she did, and knowing that was validating on so many levels.
“Can we hug you?” Vex asked, hopeful.
“Very very lightly,” Pike smiled back, cringing at the thought of the imminent contact.
The group huddled for a clumsy and somewhat hideous group hug before retreating to their own personal spaces.
For now, things felt like they were stabilizing, at least for a bit. Considering Vex’s life followed the reliable pattern of “good, weird, bad, worse”, then perhaps they were currently drifting into a period of “good”, which was a relief. She only hoped things wouldn't get weird too soon.