Vox Machina: Blood of the Primal Deities

Chapter 12 Whitestone and The Resistance pt. I

Dusk began to approach as the party was on the outskirts of Whitestone, "That's far enough for today. Let's make camp." Vex says. The rest found a place to set up camp. Percy sat on a rock, facing away from the others as Scanlan and Grog sat off to the side.

Lydie had just exited the forest with Fenrir, holding a couple dead animals in her hands. She looks up to find Axel approaching her.

"Hey, do me a favor and hold this." she said.

"Hold what---" before Axel could finish his sentence, Lydie throws three dead ducks after him. For a moment he stood in shock, "A little warning would be nice."

"Oh quit being a baby. They're dead anyway." Lydie said, checking to see if their food wasn't some sort of curse from Delilah.

"So....Lydie...I'm sure you read the letter from Prince Rafael."

"I did, why?" 

"Well..." Axel looks away before revealing, "I'm the Prince of Emon."

Lydie blinks for a moment before casting a skeptical look, "Uh-huh."

"I'm serious. I'm Prince Mychel of Emon."

She then remembered that name. Which meant that Axel was....her brother. Thoughts and emotions flooded her mind. Relief that he might stop courting her like she was interested in him. But then she remembered her kissing Axel back at the banquet to stave off Anastasija. 

"Oh." she trailed off.

"How do you feel about all this?" Axel asks.

"Meh." Lydie said nonchalantly and takes the animals from off his hands and walks off. She then sat next to Grog and begins plucking the feather off the birds. She was deep in thought about her childhood. She remembers faintly the hum of a woman she doesn't remember what she'd look like but she could definitely remember her singing some sort of lullaby. Just then her thoughts were interupted by Grog.

"Whoa. Yup. Now I'm confused and aroused." 

Lydie's raised an eyebrow and watches seeing a female human-sized Scanlan as he swats Grog's hand away.

"Hands off!" Scanlan scolded. The gnome seemed to finally become away of the transformation, glancing at his own features and posing a bit, "What the...? How the f*ck..."he the puts both hands on his hips and grins, "Do I look this good? I look twice a better as Lydie."

Lydie snaps her finger, using a counter spell. The spell took form as a lightning bolt from above and reverts Scanlan back into his male gnomish form. Grog laughs, holding his tummy.

"And now you look like your regular dorkish self." Lydie quips.

Axel sits and watches Lydie from a distance as Grog keels over in laughter while Scanlan and Lydie scream at each other. For months he'd been courting her to no avail. He questions to himself is she's probably into girls, but that's not true at all. She does seem fine with Keyleth but they seemed to be more of a sisterly friendship, Pike as well. Which leaves his adoptive sister Vex. He then looks at her fixing her bowstring. 'Nah' he thought, shaking his head. Vex's bossiness, and Lydie's tomboyishness would make a recipe for disaster. Vex then looks on and furrows her brow. Axel follows her gaze seeing Vax and Keyleth talking with each other. 

Vax was smiling while Keyleth's cheeks turns red while he speaks. He then looks at Vex seeing her uncomfortable expression. 'She's jealous.' he thought to himself, as a mischievous smile spread across his face.   

*******

Later that morning, the party had set off again towards Whitestone. This time, of course, it was by foot given that their horses were dead and their wagon destroyed at the ravine several miles behind them.