etrayalogs | Are you afraid of heights? (closed)

Are you afraid of heights? (closed)

WHO: Vax and Sciel
WHEN: January
WHERE: Various
WHAT: Searching and catching up
NOTES\WARNINGS: Will update if needed

[ The weather is still cold for the season, but Vax doesn't mind very much. He can hardly worry about that when a friend is missing and the friend's brother is sick in bed. There's nothing else he can do to help except continue the search, which he's been doing daily since they got back from the fairy world and came to realize Clive was missing.

Having a little company would be nice, though. He and Sciel can catch up a bit.

Once he sees her at the entrance of the apartments, Vax drops down from the roof of the building with large raven wings beating the air beneath it to slow his descent until he lands lightly on his feet a short distance away from her. Once he lands, the pair of wings tuck behind him for now. ]

Hey.

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[Sciel had gotten back with enough time to nip upstairs and freshen up for what she’s sure will be at least a few more hours in the cold –– dry socks, a change of clothes, a swipe of lip balm. She’s back downstairs with a few minutes to spare, standing in the doorway, for once entirely buttoned up. A smile breaks out on her face as he descends, despite the somber reason to get together.]

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing you do that. [All those beautiful, glossy feathers. She steps towards him, leaning in to swiftly kiss his cheek, a hello.] How are you doing?

[ Vax is glad to see she dressed warm for their outing. The wind can add to the cold when they're in the air. His armor provides him with some protection, but he wouldn't want her to feel chilly.

The sweet greeting gets a smile from Vax, who then lifts his brow and heaves a deep sigh at the question. ]

I've been better, but we'll talk about it as we go.

[ He doesn't want to delay the search or lose the light. ]

Ready?

[ Vax lifts his hands, ready to sweep her off her feet. ]

[Oh, Vax. Her brows knit with sympathy, and she squeezes his forearm. They’ll do their best to find him.]

Ready!

[She laughs a little under her breath –– there’s an odd intimacy to being swept up into someone’s arms instead of simply climbing up onto a much larger creature’s back, but it is what it is. She puts her arms around his neck.]

[ If she prefers to climb onto his back, it may be possible, so long as his wings are not obstructed. For now, Vax bends slightly as he lifts her off her feet and carries her in his arms.

There's a smile at the sound of her laughter. Vax looks up at the sky, then the wings behind him spread and following a leap, they beat the air and lift them off the ground. Soon, they're rising over the top of the apartment building and heading west. ]

I've been searching from the center of the city outward. Dion has been scouring the perimeter.

[His arms are more than fine, and it’s nice to be held, rather than just clinging to him. She wonders, briefly, how possible this is –– how his wings could lift them both, if he’ll get tired easier –– and then he’s lifting off, and she’s squeezing him tighter. Her whole body feels like it’s tensing, bracing for nothing in particular, and then… they’re flying, and it’s beautiful up in the air, so much of the city below spread out under them.

Incredible. She tears her gaze from the roof of the apartment building to look at his face, eyes big and round.]

And not a single sign of him? This is so strange.

[ Strong as they seem, it's logical that his wings will tire out more quickly when he's carrying someone rather than flying alone, but he wouldn't offer if he couldn't handle it for the necessary amount of time. Maybe some breaks will be in order.

A shake of his head follows. ]

Not one. Maybe he'll just turn up like nothing happened, but if there's even a chance that he's injured or unable to make contact, we have to keep looking.

[ He turns his head a little and smiles at her. Once they reach a good height, his wings glide them through the air, beating now and again to keep them aloft. ]

Not too cold, are you?

[She’s only ever seen the world this way once before, and Esquie had been so broad she could walk across his shoulders with little concern about falling. When Vax settles into long, gliding stretches, she can appreciate the difference even more.]

Better safe than sorry. [She smiles] I’m fine. Colder than I’m used to but completely manageable! But you know, when he turns up again, he’d best at least look sheepish for making so many people worry.

[ Vax chuckles softly, already able to imagine the look on Clive's face. He's cute when he's sheepish. ]

I'm sure he will. And he'll appreciate all the effort.

[ Which might be for nothing, but Vax still has to try and look for him. ]

If you get too cold, we'll stop and warm up a bit. Plenty of places to land where we can still get a view.

[ His flight coasts the left as he scans along the riverbanks and over the city streets for any sign of his missing friend. ]

We.. lost my sister, too. She's gone from the city.

[ There's no use searching for Vex. Vax knows she won't be found here. ]

[Clive seems like the type that would; sentimental, community focused. Someone who would have gotten by well in Lumière, honestly, and she hasn’t been able to say that about many people here.

As for being cold:]

I’ll let you know…

[Then he mentions his sister. Surprise passes over her face, her smile fading.]

Vex? Really? Oh, Vax, I’m so sorry.

[ Vax nods a bit, blinking away the wave of sorrow that washes over him. He lets it pass through him like the cold breeze until it's rebuffed off the back of his wings.

In a way, he's glad for something else to focus on, even if he'd rather Clive never disappeared at all. ]

I'm sorry for Percy. He's going to be hell to live with from now on.

[Mid-flight is not an ideal place to be too heavy a mourner, but Sciel is glad that she’s already holding him, at least.]

I’d be beside myself. How are you, though?

[ Perhaps that's why Vax mentioned it now instead of earlier. Being in the middle of something important keeps him from feeling the despair so much. Plus, he's already had time to be upset about it. He can't dwell on it forever. ]

I'll admit, I wasn't doing well at first, but I'm alright now. She's going back to a good life, and if I find a way to keep our world safe, she'll be fine.

[ When he first arrived in Etraya, it was like he was missing a limb, being stuck here without Vex. Now that he knows she's made a life without him, he must try to do the same. At least she'll be happy.

As the winds pick up and become more turbulent, Vax descends for now and lands on a rooftop, setting Sciel down, gently. ]

We can take a little break here.

[Sciel’s eyes trail over his face, blinking against the wind, and she nods. Still, even if he’s alright, that doesn’t sit well with her. When her feet touch ground, she scarcely lets go of him in turn, her arms still around his neck. She squeezes him in a very tight, wordless hug, temple leant against his cheek.]

[ With her arms still around him, Vax leans down into her embrace. With a sigh, he closes his eyes and moves his arms around her in return, squeezing her against him.

There's a little tremor in his arms, and his wings sweep forward, closing around them to shield her from the cold wind that moves across the rooftop. ]

Thanks.

[ Sciel has always been so kind. Supportive. He feels lucky to know her. ]

[He’s always so gentle, and in the shade of his wings, she nestles against him comfortably, exhaling long and slow as he holds her in turn.]

Of course.

[She pulls back just slightly, and just so she’s not locking him into stooping for her, her arms come down from around him. She cups his face with both hands instead, thumbs stroking his cheeks gently.]

It’s always cold comfort when you can’t be with your loved ones, but I’m here whenever you need anything, alright?

[ A part of him will always be a scared little boy without the strength of his twin by his side. He's always known Vex was the stronger one. There were many times when he would have been lost without her. It's a blessing that he now has others he can lean on for support when he needs to.

As she releases him, he lifts his head, only to have his face tenderly held. There's a small nod and his hazel eyes open with a glassy appearance from unshed emotion. He replies with a whisper. ]

Alright.

[ Then a tiny smile. ]

Why are you so good to me?

[Oh, Vax. She thumbs at his cheeks again, smiling. A touch of a tease:]

Don’t you cry on me, now. [It’d be fine if he did. She leans into him comfortably.] You deserve a little tenderness, you know.

[ Vax half laughs, holding back those tears and blinking them away, though he knows it would be okay to shed them in front of her. ]

Rogues don't cry.

[ That's a lie. He's always been an emotional person, even as a child. His arms give her a gentle squeeze. ]

You're one of a kind, you know that?

[There are many reasons to find this Clive situation worrisome, and years ago, Sciel might have found herself a complete mess over it, but the Sciel of today can sit with it and Vax’s sorrows without batting any eye. She hangs in his arms, still holding his face.]

Well! I’ll be sure to tell every rogue I’ve ever known to keep it buttoned up, then. [A bit sly:] I’d better be! I worked very hard to be this way.

[ Vax smiles with amusement as he looks down at her. ]

Did you? It must've been difficult to be so resiliant. I wish I could say nothing bothered me. Or that I could keep it together like they didn't.

[ He admires that about her. ]

Mmhmm. [She lets her hands slide down the sides of his neck to his shoulders, where they linger as she looks up at him, his glassy eyes.]

It’s not really about being unbothered, you know. It’s about… being able to accept the things we cannot change, and move forward with strength, even if it hurts.

[ Vax nods a little in understanding, his hands resting on her hips. ]

Like being stuck here. Or Vex being gone.

[ He can't change any of that. ]

[She nods too.]

Unfortunately, yes. And someday, you'll be together again, somewhere or another. In the meantime... there's still plenty of good you can do for others, and for yourself.

Shadowfell.

[ He murmurs the name in thought, then explains. ]

It's the Matron's plane. All the dead pass through on their way to their final resting place. I'll be there waiting for her.

[ Whether he's doing good for others or not, he's not always certain. Some probably find him stupid or self-centered in his rebellion against what they've been told to believe in Etraya. ]

[Her fingers run along the back of his neck, gently raking through his hair.]

You will be, because you're a good brother, and a good shepherd, too.

[ Vax can't help but smile a bit. ]

Vex might argue the first, and the second remains to be seen.

[ But he'll try to be both. As her fingers move along the back of his neck, Sciel feels something she might have felt before. Raised skin in the pattern of a line and a curve, always hidden behind his long hair. ]

I got the impression she’d argue anything. [Her fingers keep moving, and there’s that same ridge again; last time she’d been playing around it, she’d been much too occupied to ask. She runs a fingertip along it, more deliberately, a little curiosity in her eyes.] What’s this scar?

You're not wrong.

[ Vax says with a smile. He knows his sister well.

There's a blink and his head tilts when he feels her touch become more exploratory. His hand lifts to sweep his long hair to one side and away from his neck, head turning and tilting forward a little so she might see the mark. The scar is actually a brand, seared into his skin. ]

Mark of a thieves guild. I am.. their property, in a sense.

[A man of many surprises; she'd assumed it was a pictos. She eases back on him a little as he shifts, a little furrow to her brow as she glimpses what she'd touched. Her expression grows concerned.]

Property? People aren't property.

[ Her concern is touching. ]

In my world, there are still some places where people are traded.

[ The slave network is not widely spread, but it exists. Vax's situation is not quite like that, though. ]

Years ago, there was a lord who wanted Vex. She spurned him, and he didn't like being told 'no'. He hired the Clasp to kidnap her. I bargained myself to the Clasp in exchange for her contract. She doesn't know. At least, I never told her. She thinks I voluntarily joined for work.

[ Maybe the future version of his sister knew. ]

But I'm free to act and go wherever I please. The mark is more symbolic than anything else, and the guild has come in handy in the past.

[Clive had mentioned something like this, but so much had been going on in that conversation that she hadn't fully sat with the idea of it; now, it feels even more strange, by far the biggest cultural divide she's met here. Dragons, fairies? Sure. Trading people? She's flummoxed. Why? To what end?]

Vax...

[It feels a little rich to argue what's already done, especially as someone with the Expedition's heraldry tattooed all down her chest, but she wasn't pressed into that.]

What do you mean, her contract?

[ Vax had hoped to ease Sciel's worries with his words, but he can see she's still bothered by what he's told her. Understandably so. If he's being truthful, he can't sugar coat the Clasp, who they are and what they do or what his brand means.

He lifts his hand, finger brushing tenderly against her cheek and pushing back some wayward strands of hair. ]

This minor, piece of shit lord in Westruun paid the Clasp to kidnap Vex for him. The Clasp wasn't willing to bend their contract with the lord without getting something in exchange.

[ Vax couldn't outspend a lord. ]

The Clasp is a large and dangerous network with eyes everywhere. We would never have escaped them. I did what I had to do to protect my sister.

[Resistant as she is to being comforted about accepting something so miserable, she's not about to argue it. She just nods, sympathetic.]

Seems twisted for a network with no compunctions about kidnapping and slavery to be such sticklers for a contract.

[She plucks up a little more levity:]

Like I've said... you're a good brother. That's the kind of sacrifice most of the good ones seem to dream about pulling off.

A fair point. Breaking the contract would harm their reputation. To take that risk, they wanted something in exchange.

[ Namely, a very capable rogue. There's a smile and a soft laugh. ]

I'm sure it sounds heroic, but it's not. To satisfy the lord, they sacrificed another's freedom in Vex's place.

[ When he says it, the arrangement obviously doesn't sit well with Vax, but if it was another thief versus his sister, there's still no contest in his mind. ]

But, you know, what's done is done, right?

[Odd, what people have to live with. She just nods again, and she puts her arms around his neck again to pull him into another hug, squeezing tight enough to press herself against him.]

What's done is done. You did what you needed to.

[ Vax returns the hug with a sigh. ]

Sorry. I don't mean to be a downer. This isn't supposed to be about me.

[ He came out here to look for Clive. ]

You want to do another loop, and I'll take you home after?

[She leans right into that hug, one foot drifting off the ground, and she takes a sharp breath in.]

You’re never a downer. [And that’s a promise. She bumps her nose against his jaw as she draws back, looking up at him again.] That sounds good. Hopefully we’ll get lucky and find your friend.

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Are you afraid of heights? (closed)

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