Crit Roles

Desperate Dealings Episode 42 - Vax and Keyleth

Vax's feet silently take the stairs two at a time as he thinks over the evening's events. Did he make the right choice? He feels he has. Only time will tell. His major concern was that The Clasp would side with the dragon. Shen made it very clear that wasn't their intent. For all he cared after that, The Clasp could fuck off.

However, after everything that's happened over the past few days, the attacks on Emon by the Chroma Conclave, the skirmish over the skull, the discovery of Uriel's death, the almost death of his dear friend Gilmore, Vax is emotionally drained. Yet, one bubble of hope persists. That bubble is Keyleth.

Surely he hasn't been misreading her signals. He told her how he felt weeks ago. She said she needed time to figure her own feelings out. He's given her space and time, lots of it; and yet she continues to pull him aside and grab for his hand in quiet moments. Surely he can't be misinterpreting the meaning of that. Either way, he's going to get to the bottom of it.

His gait slows as he reaches visual of her door. He stops in front of his sister's door and hears Vex's voice softly whispering to Trinket. It brings a smile to his face and he steps back. He paces back and forth in front of Keyleth's door a couple of times before he pauses. He takes a breath and knocks.

The door opens and her red hair is down around her shoulders. She seems to have washed her face and changed into just a silken green robe that has bronze clasps up the front. Her eyes meet his and she gives him a look of sincere concern mixed with curiosity.

"Hi," she whispers as she folds her arms into herself.

"Hi," He answers back before pausing and taking a steadying breath to muster up the courage to say the next line. "I don't want to be alone tonight." At hearing his words, her breath catches and her eyes open wide before dropping. "Do you?" He asks, trying to keep the hopeful butterflies racketing around in his stomach from making him slip back into the comfort of the shadows.

She softly shakes her head as she lifts her chin and looks into his eyes. "I haven't been wanting to be alone most nights." She looks at him softly, a hint of a smile forming on her lips as she steps aside and opens the door wider.

He dodges in and the moment the door shuts all thought of Emon, dragons, The Clasp and everything in between leave his mind. Right now, it's just him and Keyleth. He takes a step closer to her and rests his right hand on the left side of her face. Her left hand folds over his and she leans into it closing her eyes as a single tear escapes down to her right cheek.

He leans in and kisses the betraying tear, the moisture absorbing into his lips. Her other hand comes up and wraps around the back of his neck, the skin of which is still a little sensitive from where she burned the mark off earlier. She twists her head and captures his lips in hers, kissing him with a ferocity that catches him off guard. His eyes pop open before snapping closed as he catches up to her intensity. His other hand grabs her around the waist and pulls her into him more.

She extends onto her tippy toes and wraps her arms around his shoulders as his other hand snakes down and lifts her off her feet. He carries her towards, well...there's a problem here. He frowns as he sneaks a peak around the room.

"Umm... Key-key," he says between heated kisses. "You don't...seem...to have...a bed...in...your room."

She breaks the kiss and looks around. "Ah, yes... that." She takes a step away from him. "Well... it was moved downstairs to help the refugees..." She turns back to him, her face apologetic.

"Ahh," Vax looks around and sees a plush looking rug in front of the fireplace in her room. "Well that will work..." He points to the rug as he takes a step toward her, his lips finding hers once more. She eagerly kisses him back but her nervousness has increased ten-fold.