pathography | open post.

Keeper Yennen is surprised, both brows lifting when Vex approaches her and asks to speak on a personal matter. The fact she begins with before you jump to conclusions, no, I'm NOT pregnant doesn't help. But once Vex expresses why she's there, it makes much more sense. Keeper Yennen's surprise is still there, but with a warmth. A private affair suits them both, especially after all Percy's been through as of late. Something public and loud can wait until he's ready for it.

Fortunately, there's nothing complicated to be done. Vex is relieved, and she tells herself Vax and the others aren't really missing out on anything. They'll be there on the big day, when there's wine and dancing and food. This is just for her and Percy. She knows much of their lives will belong to Whitestone, in the future. But not now, not this.

They're quicker than Cassandra and Percy. Vex, ladylike as ever, is seated on the railing of the balcony, one leg crossed over the other, arms crossed, trying not to look nervous or anxious or excited when she's all that and more.

The way she jumps to her feet when she hears the telltale sound of Percy's gait betrays that, and Keeper Yennen doesn't bother to hide her amusement.

There's a moment, while clunking up the stairs, his sister poised to catch him if he stumbles, when he doubts. With time to marshal his own thoughts, he finds his worries coming to the surface first: Vex will regret this as a hasty decision, or she'll grow weary of waiting for his health to catch up to their dreams, or he'll find the close companionship of marriage stifling. Some awful vision of their lives diverging within the too-empty estate, Percy holed up in his workshop and Vex escaping to the forest whenever possible. Tedium ahead, or endless bickering and misery.

None of it's true or real, and on some level, he knows it - why would a few words spoken between them change the life they've been living for weeks now? But it's only when he sees her that he can banish every unreasonable concern. She's already standing by the time he comes into view, but he knows her too well to miss the unspent energy running through her; she's as nervous as he, and they're both trying their best not to show it. That's more reassuring than anything else could be.

Cassandra remains at his side until Vex is within arm's length, and she doesn't leave without giving him a hug and murmuring, "Be good to her, brother," in his ear.

As she takes a step back, Percy turns to Vex, his smile earnest and irrepressible. With his free hand, he reaches for hers. "Ready?"

Just as he knows her, she knows him. He must be worried about several things. So is she, really. But whenever she thinks about it, that fight or flight instinct that's driven her for years, she thinks of what it felt like, holding his body in her arms. How hollow she felt, putting him to rest. The grief and regret that threatened to smother her. She would fight for this. It's been a relatively short amount of time that she's openly stood by his side as a lover, but it's been some of the happiest moments of her life. She could never let that go.

Vex's eyes are suspiciously bright when she takes Percy's hand, and she carefully reaches for his cane. She can support him for a few moments as they stand before Keeper Yennen, and Cassandra looks eager to have something to hold and keep her hands busy.

"Absolutely, darling." Despite the steadiness of her voice, the wide smile, the hands gripping Percy's might have the slightest of trembles to them. Just excitement.

Percy gives up his cane without hesitation and takes Vex's other hand as soon as it's free - he'd like to believe he's unlikely to collapse all that easily, standing still. Besides, feeling the little tremor running through her, he can't help but want to hold her in any way he can. Her nerves are his nerves, right about now, and only the need to keep himself upright generally is keeping him from shakiness.

"We're ready," he tells Keeper Yennen, whose smile suggests she'd already figured that out.

The ceremony feels far shorter than the one wedding Percy remembers from his childhood. He hasn't the faintest idea if that's because Yennen knows to keep them moving at a steady clip, or if his memories are colored by the boredom of a fidgety eleven-year-old with a long list of things he'd rather be doing. Yennen does keep it short, though, saying all the old familiar words without too elaboration.

"Percival, Vex'ahlia, this is the time when I would normally ask you to exchange rings," she eventually says, her voice warm and steady as well-stoked fire, "but under the circumstances -"

"Actually," Percy says, and he can't help feeling a little smug as he lets Vex's hands go in favor of reaching into the pocket of his waistcoat, "I do have something. If I may?"

At Keeper Yennen's nod, his attention settles entirely on Vex, his expression softening once more. This feels vulnerable in a way he's not sure he'd ever thought himself capable of - how things have changed in the time he's known her. "It's not a ring - though I am going to make you one, once I'm allowed to make things again - but I wanted you to have something for the occasion. This was...well, it belonged to generations of de Rolo women, but most recently, it was my mother's."

Reaching for her hand, he sets a necklace in her palm. Spaced evenly along the well-wrought golden chain are five diamonds; on her, it'll circle her neck without dangling far past her collarbone.

"Five stars for Whitestone's crest," he tells her, and it's only because Yennen and Cassandra are quiet that he can forget their presence enough to add, "and you, a sixth."

Percy's proud little actually is both unexpected and not. She hadn't expected more than his hands in hers, and yet it wouldn't be Percy if he didn't have something up his sleeve. Or pocket, really.

The necklace is so stunning it takes her a full heartbeat to register that he's giving it to her. It sits in her palm, heavy and glimmering in the retreating sunlight, and for a long moment she's speechless. Quite the feat. She looks panicked for a moment, then--this is the most gorgeous thing she's had in her possession, weaponry aside, and perhaps she's not worthy, and shouldn't it go to Cassandra--but when she looks over at Percy's sister, she can see her nod, blinking back the mistiness in her eyes.

"You have to put it on her, brother," Cassandra helpfully points out, but any attempt Percy might make to do that is thwarted by Vex using her free hand to grab the lapels of his coat and pull him in for a kiss. She still has no words. Only love for the man before her, that's loved her so fully and in ways she never imagined anyone could.

Keeper Yennen sighs before remarking that part was to follow... but regardless of their haste, they're officially husband and wife.

Vex kissing him is both unexpected and not - he's expecting it at some point soon, but nothing in him is ready for her fervor. If she didn't have her hands on him, he'd probably be in danger of stumbling; as it is, his arms come around her as much to steady himself as to hold her.

Percy returns the kiss with the same ardor, a hand coming up to cup her cheek once he's surer on his feet, his other hand settling at the small of her back. Nothing is different, and everything is. Distantly, he hears Keeper Yennen declaring that in the eyes of the Dawnfather and all mortal beings, they're married, and in that moment he couldn't care a copper coin. If they're wed, and they most certainly are, it's by feeling - the recognition of anyone else feels like happenstance by comparison.

Eventually, he breaks the kiss, the tip of his nose brushing against hers. "Cassandra is right, you know."

Were she not at least vaguely aware that they weren't entirely alone her tongue would be down his throat and her hands shucking off his layers of clothing, but Vex controls herself. See, she's got this Lady thing down. And she supposes ladies don't weep at their own wedding, but the joy and love she feels is so overwhelming. It's threatening to come out of her eyes.

But if anyone is deserving to see her so vulnerable, it's Percy. Her husband. Vex smiles against the palm of his hand, her own coming to cover his and give a squeeze as she composes herself with a breath.

"Get to work, then," she says, the words lacking all bite and full of warmth. She presses the necklace back into his hand and turns so that he doesn't have to deal with moving behind her.

It gives her a moment to quickly wipe at her eyes.

Percy laughs, and it's a gentle sound. If his eyes are a little too wet and soft, so be it - this evening is one that will last in his mind forever, and when it's over, it'll never come again. He'll feel it now, without (too much) embarrassment.

Once he's fumbled the clasp open, he moves her braid aside and settles the necklace around her neck. His nod to propriety is the fact that he doesn't lean in to kiss the nape of his neck, as he'd dearly like to...but not around his sister. Tonight, perhaps, when they've retired to their room to celebrate properly.

"There," he says, closing the clasp again. One hand lands lightly on her shoulder, affectionate and also keeping himself steady. "Turn around, Lady de Rolo - I want to see how it looks on you."

The necklace feels warm from his pocket and their hands. It'd be a lie to say there wasn't a weight to it: she wonders if his mother would approve, were she alive. It sits too high for her to see it when she glances down, but her fingers do graze over it delicately, like she's afraid it might break.

"Well?" She asks, turning around to face him. Looking at him, she wants to kiss him again and again and again. There will be plenty of time for that later, of course, but the urge is absurdly strong. She settles for reaching for his hands again, both to steady him and for the simple pleasure of contact.

"Well," he agrees, his smile crooked and his eyes bright. It suits her - the gold is warm against her sun-bronzed skin, and the jewels shine nearly as bright as Vex herself. And even the only piece of jewelry left to them was absolutely hideous, she'd make it beautiful.

(It is not, fortunately, the only thing that survived the Briarwoods; a few other pieces are still around, and they'll suit Cassandra we'll. From here, he'll simply have to turn his metal-working skills over to a new purpose every once in a while. The thought of making jewelry for his wife - his wife - makes the craft sound decidedly more interesting than it otherwise would.)

He squeezes her hands in reassurance. "No one could wear it better. You are, without a doubt, the most attractive woman I've ever seen in my life."

The laugh from her is a girlish thing, overjoyed that the man she loves finds her beautiful and worthy and now she's his wife and this is real and hers. Not even death could take this from her--she'd have to fish him back up again. She feels like she's floating, and only his hands are keeping her firmly on the ground. Lady de Rolo. It's the best title he's given her yet.

"Thank you, Percy," she says, and the words don't feel like enough. She'll be sure he knows how grateful she is once they're alone.

She looks to Cassandra and Keeper Yennen, nodding to both. "And you, too. We know this was sudden. There will be a proper wedding sometime. Until then..."

Their discretion will be appreciated. Both seem to understand, promising to keep the secret without complaint.

"Until then," Cassandra says, coming near and holding Percy's cane out to him, "it's good to have a sister - even a secret one."

Percy takes his cane and takes a careful step back, letting go of Vex's hand so Cassandra can embrace her and kiss her cheek. It occurs to him for the first time that this may be something special for his sister, too. She was even more alone than he, when the Briarwoods ruled Whitestone; even now, there are gaps between them he hasn't yet been able to bridge. Cassandra is so much quieter than she used to be, and she keeps her own counsel more often than not.

Vex could be a confidante for her, he thinks. A sister in more than name or technicality, someone who might be able to hear the things Cassandra can't bring herself to say to Percy.

(He thinks of Vesper, refusing to let himself wonder what indignity her final resting place might have involved. He thinks of the girl she was, the woman she could have been. He misses her -all of them, but especially his elder sister - with a sudden, fierce longing.)

He slips a finger behind the lenses of his glasses and swipes at his eyes quickly. As Cassandra lets Vex go, he says, "I hope you'll stay for supper with us, Keeper Yennen. I'm sure they could set an extra place."

A sister. The words affect Vex more than she'd anticipate, threatening the dry eyes she had so valiantly fought to reclaim. She pulls Cassandra into a hug, grateful, as Keeper Yennen tells Percy she'd be happy to join them for dinner. It's a day to celebrate, even if quietly.

"Until then," Vex says, patting Cassandra's shoulder before reaching for Percy's arm, "You need rest. You've been up and about for far too long."

Nothing says just married like a quick power nap before dinner. The walk around the garden was already going to be pushing it, by her measure.

"Shall we all go freshen up and reconvene in the dining room?"

"Let's," he answers, surprisingly docile about being asked to rest. A wedding gift to his wife, he thinks, but the truth is, he really has used up the bulk of his energy. He'll drowse off in the pudding if he doesn't get some rest now.

The stairs are slow going - walking down feels so much less stable than walking up did - but with a hand gripping the railing and Vex beside him, he doesn't fall. From there, it's a short walk to their room.

Once the bedroom door shuts behind them, Percy breathes out, leaning back against it. Giving his wife (his wife) a wry little smile, he asks, "How serious were you about resting?"

Dead serious. It's a little too soon to say as such, but the look in her eyes is clear enough so far as intent: he needs to rest.

But not before she steps up to him, using the sturdy door to her advantage as she leans in for a deeper kiss than she'd allowed herself before his sister and Keeper Yennen. She certainly doesn't hold his face or press her body to him like he's a man on the mend, but she perhaps keeps it brief, just enough to get it out of her system before bumping her nose to his.

"Very serious."

Percy sighs, his hands resting at the small of her back, keeping her there with him. What he wants more than anything is this moment, stretched out further than he's capable of right now. What he gets is a taste of her mouth, the well-built shape of her, and the knowledge that he couldn't do a good job of ravishing her right now if he tried. There's a little smile at his lips as he says, "I was afraid you'd say that."

Rest, then. Rest, and a meal, and perhaps after that, they can see what the evening holds for them both.

He can feel what Vex already knew as he walks over to his side of the bed: He really has pushed himself too far today. Sitting down at the edge of the mattress - and feeling a dull ache in his chest that means take a break, you idiot, you've done enough today - he starts to pull at his boots.

Vex sits on her side of the bed to remove her own boots, letting Percy manage himself for the time being. She's quicker, of course, and once done she flops onto her back, head on the plush pillows. Her fingers trace the weight at her throat. A de Rolo, now. Just like that.

Certainly not what she expected of the day. Nor him. But they've done it, they're married, and it will be their little secret to protect until they're ready.

"You'd better hurry and get over here," she says, extending an arm towards Percy with a smirk. He wasn't going to rest alone, without her tangled up with him. That's simply unbecoming of their marriage.

The demand makes him laugh. Turning toward her, he clambers onto the bed properly and stretches out beside her. "Talk to me like that, and I won't do any resting."

It's an empty threat - he's almost certainly going to wind up dozing with his cheek pillowed on her shoulder - but he follows it up with a lingering kiss, his hand at her jaw. As it breaks, he draws in a long breath, giving her an all-too-earnest smile. "I know it's trite, but you've made me the happiest man in the world."

It's enough to make someone wonder when he'll wake up; if not for the dull ache in his side, no doubt from too much walking, he'd be tempted to pinch himself.

Were he in better health she'd be rolling them both to pin him down beneath her, but as it is, she has patience. Since getting him back his recovery has been her focus, even if that meant putting baser desires on the back burner. They have a lifetime together. She can refrain from rolling in the sheets with him until he's not likely to pass out.

That smile of his is nearly enough to make her throw caution to the wind, however. Vex sighs, smiling back at him, hand covering his as she looks up at him.

"Shall we add that to your list of titles, darling?" She teases. And then, more seriously--

"I'm glad. I'm... happier than I could have ever imagined." Which is strange to feel, stranger to say aloud. Admitting it makes it truth, and some part of her feels guilty Vax isn't here, isn't a part of it. "I'm excited to see what our future together brings us, Percy."

"I am, too," he tells her, and if his smile's tired, it's no less genuine for that fact. "And adding husband is quite enough for me. I'd give all the others up for that one."

They talk in quiet voices for a little longer, secret words for a secret bond, until he has to admit that he's on the verge of falling asleep. When he does, it's with Vex's fingers carding through his hair, repetitive and unbelievably comforting. Up again for their supper, and then back to the quiet of their room - and though the spirit is most definitely willing, he doesn't have the energy to raise the idea of consummation, let alone make an attempt.

Percy's still tired the next day, though he struggles through an abbreviated walk outside out of sheer stubbornness. It's maddening to run into a setback because he'd dared to marry the woman he loves, and he's in a poor temper all day. The day after, he wakes midmorning feeling more himself - only to find rain beating down the windows. It's cold out, just this side of snowing, and there's no chance in the nine hells that he'll be able to leave the castle; even if he was tempted to risk the twin threats of falling and getting sick, he doubts anyone else would be willing.

He can shake off yesterday's bearish mood, but he's restless at the idea of reading, and sketching out schematics for future projects has left him with at least a dozen ideas he can't do anything with. By early afternoon, he's gotten up to walk over to the window enough times that he might as well be pacing.

Percy's mood matches the poor weather. Vex has been patient, she thinks, but it's his moving about that's threatening to make her lose it. The cold weather has her choosing to linger in bed, back against the pillows and headboard, lap covered by thick blankets as she reads. Her eyes flick over to Percy as he once more looks out the window, and it's with a sigh that she shuts her book and sets it on the nightstand.

"Is it that miserable to be cooped up with your wife?" She teases, knowing it's not her. He's a man that likes to keep busy, and he doesn't need both his condition and the weather reminding him of the fact that he's unable to do all the things he would usually. "I doubt the weather will improve tomorrow, let alone today."

If it's not snowing, she'll be surprised. And he'll be even more irritated. In Vex's opinion, the shit weather is a blessing: he's forced to rest.

Snow is inevitable, and he knows it in his bones; once winter comes to Whitestone, it doesn't let up, and winter is clearly on their doorstep. Which is fine, normally. The first winter snows turn Whitestone into a blinding, brilliant shimmer in the sun - and even when things grow slushy and grey, he doesn't mind. It's the ideal time to retreat to his workshop and the heat of his forge, or spend hours poring over books.

But he's still barred from the workshop, and the bustle of his childhood memories has become a kind of stillness he's not entirely used to. (The quiet throughout the castle is something he'd dreamt of as a boy - when, even in a building this large, no room guaranteed peace or privacy if any of his half-dozen siblings burst through the door. But he'd never wanted it like this.) He hasn't the strength to bring about the return of the many parties traditionally hosted here around Winter's Crest, and even if he did, he hasn't the temperament, either. Their friends have scattered to the four winds, and it turns out one can only read so much without pause. It's hard not to feel contrary, under the circumstances. He wants everything he can't have, and if he had it, he suspects he wouldn't want it anymore.

His shoulders slump a little when he hears Vex's question at his back. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather be cooped up with - but right now, I'd rather not be cooped up."

Turning back to face her, he walks over to her side of the bed and settles carefully on the edge beside her. She looks exceptionally comfortable, lounging there - he suspects she's chosen to stay in bed today in an attempt to get him to do the same. "I know I've been a beast lately. That's...not how I want things to be."

"All things considered, you've been worse," she says with a wry smile. She doesnt wish him to feel like a caged lion, but af least he's not on a mission to get vengeance. It's far too cold for that and the bed is warm from her body--though Vex scoots over, onto the cooler sheets, offering him her warmed spot under the blankets. True love.

"A lot has happened in a short amount of time, hasn't it?" She muses aloud as a way of beginning the conversation. "For you, especially."

They saved the day, but he died, and then he came back, and now he has to adjust to this new role in a home that's forever changed (all while he's changed), full of both good and bad memories. They're going to have to do a lot of work to put some ghosts to rest, she thinks.

"I'm proud of you, Percy, for how well you've been handling it all so far. But I hope you'll tell me when it's too much."

He's disinclined to crawl back into bed - a bit like giving up for the day and surrendering to apathy - but the heat of Vex's body is a temptation that draws him. Setting his cane on the floor, he carefully moves into her spot, sliding an arm around her. His fingers are cold, but some time curled up with her will change that.

And maybe that's something they could both use. His boredom is a selfish one, stuck entirely on the things he's not capable of; he hasn't considered that Vex might need him right now.

"For both of us." His death was a blow he wasn't present to see her take, but he can recognize in retrospect just how badly it hurt her. She's been strong through it all, taking care of nearly every need he could possibly have, but she's more easily worried for him these days. Quieter, at times. Willing to fold herself into a slow-paced life, with a lover - husband - who's still mastering the art of walking downstairs, but at what cost to her own happiness? Perhaps no cost at all, but he's frustrated with his limits; he couldn't blame her if there are moments when she is, too.

And through it all, the kind of fear that comes with seeing someone lying dead at one's feet. He knows that all too well, with too many different people; if he'd gotten her killed after they started sleeping together, rather than before, he'd have lost his damned mind.

"I will...though I doubt I need to tell you that I don't always notice when something becomes too much. You might have to see it for me." Yet another thing for her to do for him. He'd dearly like to stop adding more to her plate. "And tell me, too - if any of this becomes overwhelming for you. I'm not much use at the moment, but I'm here to help you, too."

She hates feeling him cold. It's too much of a reminder that he was a corpse, not too long ago, devoid of all his cleverness and the laugh that always made her smile despite herself. They were so close to losing any chance to be happy together, let alone married. So, she makes sure he's tucked against her, her head coming to rest on his shoulder.

She's happy to care for him. It's a privilege to help him with the stairs or with his boots or grab something forgotten across the room. The only frustration comes from not being able to fix what's damaged. His body needs to recover. There's no one for her to shoot or swindle. No one to pay. She worries for his health and his heart, being unable to tinker for days on end or do simpler things without help. She can adjust to this life of relative luxury, find a place to make a new routine, but she knows he's having to shift so much more around in his head.

"My saying that was me trying to get you to take a step back and look at yourself," she tells him, lifting her head to press a kiss to his cheek. Each day sees him looking a little less gaunt. "I'm alright, Percy. Far from overwhelmed. You're not that much of a pain in the ass... even when you're determined to be a grump."

She can't coddle him too much, now.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

dying to tag this all day 🥹

ugh same 🥲 having the best time over here

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

maybe everything's kind of a bummer, lmfao

typical!!!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject