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[wyldfire]

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[whatsinfrontofyou]

[Vex pretends she doesn't know what Jordana's plans are for the month. The less she thinks about it, the less likely she is to change her mind about letting Jordana kill their abusers... and she'd rather not change her mind.

She can brush it off as there being more important things to consider.]

I won't keep you for long. I just wanted to let you know that one of my teammates from home arrived recently. A friend.

If you could look out for him, if you run across him...

[A pause as she considers what, if anything, she can add to that. But the reasoning is fairly simple.]

He can be impulsive, and I'd rather avoid him learning too first hand about punishment here.

[wyldfire]

I will do my best, though if he's anything like your brother that may be a tall order.

[All of Vox Machina sounded impulsive. They reminded her of Ren's pack, tbh.]

Tell me about him so I know what to look for?

[whatsinfrontofyou]

[She would say he's not as bad as her brother, but considering the whole revenge demon period of his life, Vex does find it difficult to entirely commit to that.]

That's all I can ask of you. Just... if you should happen to be in the right place at the right time.

[Vex sends an image of him, though the one that comes to mind is significantly healthier looking than he is currently.]

He's using a cane now. As I understand it, things haven't gone well for him since I left.

[wyldfire]

[Huh. He looked kind of like he's got a stick up his ass.]

Ah. So he's from your future, like Ren is to me. Do you know how much time has passed for him?

[whatsinfrontofyou]

[Percy does look that way sometimes. (Usually.)]

Not exactly. Both he and my brother seem to prefer not to share exact details. It's safe to say at least a few months.

Not long.

[But she seems to have missed a lot.]

[wyldfire]

Hmm. And neither of them noticed you missing, so there was like another you with them?

[whatsinfrontofyou]

It seems there must have been. I wonder if this place doesn't do something odd with time. Like the fey realm, but worse.

[wyldfire]

It made sense on a certain level that there could be time between Ren and me since my pack left on a mission ten years in Ren's past and had disappeared. We were heading to the Aethereal Realm wren we got hit by an umbral storm which separated us.

It's possible that we were knocked into either the Arcadia Gateway - which is the entrance to the land of the fae where I'm from - or the Flux Realm. Time runs different in those places.

But if you were still there to them... I don't know.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

[That part is still a mystery to Vex too. One she's not sure what to do with.]

I trust both of them would realize if I'd been replaced by an imposter. No one knows me better than Vax does, and Percy is one of the smartest people I know, so I have to believe that I was there.

But I've been here for almost a year now...

[wyldfire]

And neither of them mentioned you having talked about been somewhere else?

[This was hard to figure out.]

Maybe this really is the Dream Zone.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

Pretty fucked up dream, if it is.

But neither of them mentioned anything like that. I'm sure they wouldn't have kept that part from me.

[wyldfire]

The Dream Zone contains nightmares too.

Mi querida, I'm sorry it doesn't make sense in relation to the others. In some ways I think it's easier that my arrival lines up with having disappeared.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

One more mystery. And as all of the mysteries around here go, probably one of the lower priorities...

Still, fucked up.

[wyldfire]

It is less... immediate at least.

How are you don't with - Percy you said? - Percy being here?

[whatsinfrontofyou]

I'm still processing it, I think. On the one hand, it's hard to have anyone else here... but it's good to have a familiar face. Someone from the same world, who knows the same rules.

[Vex is dealing with the contradiction of wishing he were safe at home, and also being glad to see him.]

He... happened to stumble on me with Sweeney, in a somewhat awkward position. Nothing compromising but bad enough to put a weird mood on the reunion.

[wyldfire]

[Jordana understood the paradox well. She desperately wanted one of her packmates there but also wanted them far away and safe.]

Weird mood. I take it you weren't dating anyone at home then?

[She wanted to ask if Vex told Percy about her, but the thought that Vex might not have stirred her anxiety enough to keep her silent.]

[whatsinfrontofyou]

No. We rarely stayed in one place long enough for any kind of formal relationship. Certainly no one worth introducing to friends.

[wyldfire]

I hope you've warned Sweeney about possibly getting the shovel talk from him.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

[That thought... actually hadn't crossed her mind.]

You may have a point about that. I usually think about that in the context of my brother...

[Her first thought is that Percy is too sensible for that, but Percy is also an older brother, isn't he? Just not hers.

It's not hard to see him having that conversation for Cassandra.]

I doubt it will be a problem. Percy is usually fairly reasonable. But usually is the operative word there, isn't it?

He may want to meet you as well. I did mention my girlfriend while we were catching up.

[wyldfire]

I'd expect any packmate to do so, though the shovel talk does tend to be a male to male ritual. I've never received the shovel talk. I only ever got the dishonorable gtfo talk from a parent.

[Something inside Jordana's chest settled that Vex had indeed let Percy know about her.]

I'm happy to meet him if he'd like. I promise I won't bite. [Said with levity.]

[whatsinfrontofyou]

I would like it if the two of you got along. I have dreams of a real housewarming party, once we're out of this gods forsaken castle.

[Aspirational.]

I promise, he is smart enough not to try that. He knows I'd give him an earful.

[A shovel talk, she might look the other way about.]

[wyldfire]

Considering you're not kinfolk, I don't think I have to worry about that. I joke about it now, but seventeen year old me did not have a good end to my first relationship.

[It had, unfortunately, left an indelible mark upon her. Jordana didn't even realize how much that was an influence in how she handled her relationships.]

I will try, cariña. I'd like to get along with him.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

My dreams of friendly gatherings continue. At least as long as we get out of here at some point before Thanksgiving.

[wyldfire]

We better. I need to run so badly.

[whatsinfrontofyou]

[Vex hums with deep sympathy. She misses the trail, hunting. She feels like she can't get grounded here.]

I imagine most of us will have cabin fever if this doesn't lighten up soon. If we're not already.