#cassandra de rolo fic

[sunstone-smiles]

There's No Working On Winter's Crest!

Author’s note: Happy Holidays everyone! Merry Critmas because a Critical Role fic is here! I absolutely love how this fic turned out and it might be one of my new favorites that I've written. This fic is part of the @squealing-santa event and was made for wrestling!anon! 🎁 Thank you @squealing-santa / @cantsaythetword for all your hard work as host this year! Now on to the fic! Enjoy!

Series: Critical Role (Campaign 1) 

Characters: Percy, Vex, Vax, (and guest starring the Vox Machina crew and Cassandra)

Provided prompts:  “Forever love ‘character A doesn’t think they’re ticklish; character B proves them wrong’” / “…also love the Percy/Vex/Vax combo of ‘Vex & Vax are chaos goblins and Percy is wayyy too serious.’”

Word count: 5,328

Summary: Percival claims he has work to do when the rest of Vox Machina is decorating the castle of Whitestone for Winter’s Crest. Vex and Vax volunteer to persuade (or annoy) him until he caves in; however, their conversation skews slightly off topic when Percy has an unexpected, jumpy reaction to a poke Vax delivered when he was emphasizing his words.

---

The Winter’s Crest festival is just around the corner as citizens across Tal’Dorei prepare for the festivities, especially in the Kingdom of Whitestone. Snow drifts gently to the surface of the walkways and powders the roofs of homes in a coat of white that brings a literal meaning to the name Whitestone. Townsfolk are dressed in thick furs and winter resistant outfits to decorate the city. They put up strings of magic lights hanging across the streets, ribbons adorning homes and merchant stalls, and other handcrafted decorations—like snowflakes and snow-themed creatures that many of the children make—are displayed on the front doors of homes. The Sun Tree, the centerpiece of the Kingdom, has also been dressed with lights and ornaments for the festivities.

The castle of Whitestone is no different. Inside, currently lining the halls and the main foyer of the castle, the heroic group members of Vox Machina are in the process of putting up the decorations. Though unfinished, the area is already teeming with wintery accessories. Like the rest of the town, snowflakes are plastered on the walls or dangling on strings, small bulbs of magic infused light arcs across the edges of the roof, and fluffy cotton is clumped together to line the corners of the walls; it makes the room look like a portrait of a snowfall that breached inside the castle’s halls.

Cassandra, the current youngest heir of Whitestone, enters the wintery landscape. She gasps, glancing about the room with sparkling eyes like a child witnessing the beautiful display of a real snowfall.

“I love what you’ve done with the place, Vox Machina. It looks lovely,” Cassandra says as her sight indulges in every bit of her surroundings.

Keyleth, with a hand-made parchment snowflake in her hands, pipes up beside her. “Thanks! We saw that the rest of Whitestone was decorating, so why not give the inside of the castle the same treatment? At least to get everyone in the spirit of the Winter’s Crest festival.”

Cassandra chuckles. “I don’t disagree. I knew you would all be decorating, but this is already mesmerizing.”

“You can thank me for that,” Scanlan points to himself, speaking with pride. He’s standing on Trinket’s back and using the bear as a platform to reach higher ground. “I know a thing or two about preparing a room for special occasions,” Scanlan boasts. Trinket growls and shakes under his feet in response, nearly causing Scanlan to tip over.

Cassandra giggles again. Glancing about the room, she sees Keyleth choosing a new spot for her parchment snowflake, Vex and Vax stringing colorful orbs together, Pike standing on Grog’s shoulder as they both focus their decorations on the same wall, and Scanlan glaring at Trinket after the bear’s attempt to knock him off. Everyone has given themselves a project to add on to their winter scene. But, hold on… Where’s–

“Wait a minute, where’s Percival?” Cassandra asks, seeing no sign of her brother.

Vex answers. “Percy said that he had more important things to do,” she draws out her words sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the thought of the man’s decision. “If you ask me, I think he’s just being stubborn.”

Vax glances up towards the hallway behind Cassandra. He nudges his twin in the shoulder. “Well, look who decided to show up at the right time,” Vax gestures his head in the direction of the hallway. 

Vex and Cassandra turn. They see Percy walking across the foyer in their direction. He’s carrying a small wooden crate in his hands and his eyes are glancing inside of the box’s contents as he heads towards the other end of the room.

“Percy! There you are!” Cassandra calls his name as he passes by her. “Why aren’t you decorating with everyone else? I’m about to join them as well.”

Percy stops walking to properly speak with his sister. He shifts the box in his hands to get a better grip. “Because Cass, I have a lot of work to do. You all keep on decorating. I’ll join you later if there’s time.”

Vex barks out a laugh. “By the time you’re done tinkering, darling, the whole inside and outside of the castle will be finished.”

Percy narrows his eyes at the ranger’s claim, but pays it no mind as Cassandra pulls his attention with her own concerns. 

“But Percy, this is a time for joy and relaxation. What are you building that’s so important—” Cassandra places a hand on the box to sneak a peek inside. Percy yanks the box to the side and tears it from her view.

“That is none of your business, Cass. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work that needs to be done.” Percy states before walking away and leaving towards his original destination.

Cassandra, Vex, and Vax watch him exit in silence as his form disappears into the hall and behind the palace walls.

Cassandra crosses her arms and grumbles. A little bit of her childish side shows despite how mature she usually holds herself. 

“You’re right, Vex,” she says while staring at the empty hallway. “My brother is a great, big, stubborn, pain in the–”

“A donkey! I made a donkey!” Grog exclaims from across the room while excitedly showing Pike his hand-made snowflake donkey.

“Nice, Buddies!” Pike complements from her spot on his shoulder.

Cassandra throws her hands down to her side with a huff and smooths out her dress. “You know what? I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.” She daintily stomps a few steps forward.

“Hold on there, Cassandra,” Vex places an arm out to stop her, smiling. “Allow Vax and I to deal with Percy. We know how to be more than enough of an annoyance in order for him to cave in.”

Vax leans over his twin’s shoulder. “Plus, he might put up more of a fight if it’s against his sister,” Vax smirks. Vex responds with a playful elbow to his stomach.

“You do have a point,” Cassandra concedes with a chuckle. “Alright then, I’m entrusting this task to you. Bring him out here and let’s show him how to be in the ‘proper’ Winter’s Crest spirit. I’ll check in a little later to see how things are going.”

“Will do, Cassandra,” Vex places their string of ornaments down with Vax and winks at the young de Rolo.

“We’re on it,” Vax says while already beginning to walk backwards. Vex joins him and they both make their way towards Percy’s direction.

***

Through the marble halls of polished white, Percy’s footsteps and the occasional rustle from his box of materials keeps him company. He passes by a few bedroom doors of his allies before he reaches his own room. As he repositions the wooden crate into one arm to free one of his hands, a third arm suddenly slings over his shoulders.

“Hey there, de Rolo!” Vax exclaims by his side. Percy jumps.

“Vax! Don’t sneak up on me like that,” Percy adjusts his glasses. Over Vax’s shoulder, he sees Vex walking up to join them.

“Sorry, friend. Hard not to when that’s your speciality as a rogue,” Vax shrugs one arm while the other remains around Percy.

“And don’t forget about me,” Vex leans her arm on Percy’s unoccupied shoulder and smiles.

Percy sighs between the two twins barricading him at his sides. “If you’ve come to convince me to decorate with you all, the answer is no,” Percy opens the door to his quarters. He enters, immediately heading straight towards his desk and leaving the twins behind. He places the crate on the surface of his desk with a clatter from the materials inside. 

Vax leans a hand against the doorframe. “Well, the whole point of convincing is to change that answer to yes,” the rogue persists. He watches as Percy reaches into the crate and pulls out onto his desk golden-colored gears, tinkering tools, and a small chest lined in purple velvet that has a similar shape and size of a box that could hold jewelry.

“Exactly,” Vex agrees with her brother. “And I think we’re both pretty skilled when it comes to our tactics of persuasion.”

Vax crosses his arms and switches to leaning his back against the doorframe. “You have struck quite a few bargains here and there, sister.”

“I wouldn’t say a lot, just when it was necessary. Like when I dropped the cost of that book that was thirty-five gold pieces down to twenty-five.”

“Twenty-five? I thought it was thirty?” Vax steps further into the room.

“No. That seems too low of a bargain for me. I think it was twenty-five.” Vex pauses. “Or maybe we met in the middle, like around twenty-seven?”

Percy lets out a long, irritated sigh. Without even looking at the twins, he says, “You’re not going to leave until I say ‘yes’, are you?”

“Ah, looks like Percival’s catching on,” Vax wraps an arm around the noble’s shoulder again, smirking at him. Percy crosses his arms.

The noble shakes his head with an eye roll to the side. “I know this isn’t going to work, but I’m going to try it anyway—is there any chance that you’ll leave me alone and let me work in peace?”

Vex leans on his desk. “Ha! Not a chance.”

“Thought so…” he grumbles.

“You see, Freddy,” Vax says. “You, my friend,” he gently pokes Percy in the side and leaves his finger pointing at him, “need to get into the holiday spirit. So stop. Being. Stubborn!” Vax delivers a poke for each of his final three words, adding slightly more pressure to the third poke for emphasis.

“Aah!” Percy jumps away from the third jab. “Vax! What was that for?” Percy rubs the spot on his side.

Vax puts his hands up to prove his innocence. “Whoa. Sorry, de Rolo. I didn’t think you would be so sensitive. Are you ticklish, maybe?” Vax genuinely asks for clarification; however, a slight hint of amusement curls its way into his voice.

Percy adjusts his vest. “Unfortunately for you and what you’re thinking about, no, I am not ticklish.” Percy flicks his eyes to the side, “Not anymore, at least. You surprised me is all.”

Vex, intrigued by his words, backtracks to his initial response. “So, you were ticklish once before?”

“A long time ago, sure. Cassandra would be an absolute menace with it,” Percy answers. “But I grew out of it,” he looks towards his desk.

The ranger listens to Percy’s words and watches his expression intently, trying to gain any insight towards his claims. She can tell that he’s speaking the truth, as far as he knows. Though, there are traces of uncertainty when Percy glanced away during his last sentence.

“Do you know that for a fact?” Vex exposes the brief blunder in Percy’s words.

The noble freezes. That got his attention.

“Well… I assume so,” Percy replies.

Vax smirks, catching on to his sister’s plan. “Ahh, so it seems Percival’s evidence is outdated.” 

“Meaning that the answer is still unknown,” Vex joins in with a smirk of her own. “You’re a man of science, right Percy? Let’s test our theory.” She wiggles her fingers at him.

Percy returns a glare in Vex’s direction, unfazed by her attempt to taunt him. “I already told you, I’m not ticklish. But you know what? I’ll humor you.” He turns to his work and resumes speaking over his shoulder, “Go ahead and try to tickle me because you won't get the reaction you’re expecting. And once you try, you have to leave me alone to work. Do we have a deal?”

The eyes of the twins widen. They glance at one another with silent expressions of shock before looking back at Percy.

“Did my ears deceive me or is Percy actually giving us permission to tickle him?” Vex gasps.

“We do have to agree to his conditions…” Vax ponders. “But, what the hell? We can’t let this opportunity go to waste.”

The twins excitedly step up to both of his sides as Percy continues his tinkering.

“So, where should we start? There’s so many spots to choose from!” Vex teases like she’s a tourist exploring a new town.

Percy sighs again from their antics, already regretting his decision to let them even try. “Just pick one and move on,” he says without even taking his eyes off his work.

“Well, poking his side got a reaction out of him in the first place. Let’s try there,” Vax suggests to his sister. The rouge presses his fingers into one of Percy’s sides, followed by a gentle wiggling. Percy jolts and bangs into his desk, though more so from the aspect of surprise rather than the attempt at tickling. With a quiet grumble, the noble regains his composure. He has no reaction when Vex presses her fingers into his other side, since he was expecting the attempt this time. He returns his focus towards his tinkering, as if the twins are nothing more than an itch that can be ignored.

For (barely even) a second, that is. Until the corner of his mouth suddenly twitches upwards. 

Percy neutralizes his expression, but every time he tries to refocus, his mouth pops back up into a quivering smile. His fingers subtly flinch as he works. The sensation at his sides grows more and more tingly. There’s a bubbly pressure building in his throat that’s slowly rising like steam in a tea kettle.

It occurs to Percy that, despite his arguments, he is, most definitely, still ticklish.

Percy, being as inconspicuous as he can, leans his head closer to his chest and shoulder to hide his wobbly expression. His arms nearly fall to his sides as a reflex of protection, but he attempts to stay as casual as possible to conceal his ticklishness from the twins.

“Are you sure you’re not ticklish, Percy?” Vax tilts his head with a smirk.

“Because for someone who’s not ticklish, you sure are trembling a lot,” Vex says, having a keen eye for the subtle shifts in his movements.

“It’s just…difficult to concentrate!” Percy steadies his words so he doesn’t stutter. However, one of the twins spiders their fingers up to his ribs, causing Percy to slam a hand on his desk so he doesn’t completely collapse forward. There’s another surge of pressure in his chest. His smile wobbles even higher like it’s a ship being elevated by a wave in a storm. Percy’s in big trouble now.

“Really? Does concentrating involve slamming a hand on your desk and nearly folding yourself in two?” Vex knowingly questions, confirming to Percy that it was her who experimented with a new spot towards his ribs.

“Y-yes! It does!” Percy responds, letting a stutter slip.

“Mmhm,” Vex hums as she reads him.

Technically, it’s not a lie. He really is concentrating…on not bursting out into laughter right in front of the twins. He bites his lip and curls his head closer to his chest and shoulder. He’ll never hear the end of it if he ends up letting the half-elfs hear a giggle or two slip. If he holds out just a little longer, they’ll give up and stop. Right?

“Let’s face it, Vex. Maybe he really isn’t ticklish anymore,” Vax states, although there’s a teasing demeanor that drips from his voice like the poison from one of his daggers when he’s about to strike. Vax slows his fingers down to a stop, giving Percy the slightest sliver of hope that he could prevail.

…Oh, who is he kidding? These twins don’t give up until they get what they came for.

Vax quickly scribbles his fingers into Percy’s stomach using a sneak attack. Although Percy holds back his giggles, a few airy snickers slip from the gunslinger before a loud snort emanates from his person like the echoing blast of an explosive shot. 

Percy immediately slaps a hand across his mouth. Time feels like it stops. A moment of dead silence passes as Percy senses his imminent doom approaching. He can already feel their grins searing a mark at the back of his head.

To his better judgement, Percy lowers his hand and slowly turns his head around. His back hits against his desk when he’s met with the two gleaming grins of the twins.

“Gotcha.” Vax smirks.

“Oh no–” Percy’s eyes are wide behind his glasses. Without further hesitation, the twins lunge at him. Percy lets out a startled scream. He clamps his hands to his sides as the half-elven twins take advantage at poking, tweeking, and scribbling the open spaces of his torso. Percy shimmies between them, protesting and shoving at the two through an occasional bark of laughter when one of the twins gets in a good hit; nevertheless, he still holds back his laughter from fully flooding into the room.

“Percy, you’re so squirmy!” Vex smiles as she tries to get a hit on his nimble form.  

“What else did you expect?!” Percy’s words trail with a giggle as he pushes Vex out of the way and tries to run, but Vax throws his arms around Percy’s waist and tugs him back. 

“He’s a fighter alright!” Vax says as Percy kicks and squirms in his grasp. The noble tries to push down on Vax’s arms and pull himself out of his hold, but Vax tugs his friend back towards him.

With his friend grappled, Vax wiggles his fingers into Percy’s sides, resulting in a surprised giggle from Percy. The gunslinger reels in his laughter, toning it down to a stream of snickers so he doesn’t allow the twins to hear the robust laughter their ears desire from his stubborn self. 

Percy shakes his head. “Noho! I’m not ticklish!” he shouts as an impulsive reaction, hearing the giggle in his own words. He facepalms to hide his flustered features and the embarrassment that comes with a critical failure of a deception attempt behind his hand.

“Gods, I knew you were stubborn but that is just flat out denial,” Vax smiles over his shoulder.

“Come on Percy. There’s no need to hide it any more, so cough up that laughter!” Vex darts her hands towards Percy’s ribs. Percy drops his arms to his sides with a yelp that’s finally followed by a plethora of unrestrained, wheezy giggles pouring out of the noble who refused to smile just a few minutes ago. 

“Ah, there it is,” Vex smiles.

Percy wiggles in Vax’s hold and buries his face in his shoulder for a moment, too overwhelmed to think of a snarky comeback. He forgets what to do with his hands after not being tickled for so long, but when Vax gives a quick squeeze to his side, Percy instantly remembers and latches on to the rouge’s wrists. He pries Vax’s hands from him and holds them hostage from his sides, but Vex suddenly scribbles her fingers at Percy’s stomach, which sends the gunslinger with another shriek of giggles stumbling away from his desk and collapsing forward to the floor. 

“Aaand down he goes,” Vax grins.

Percy lifts himself on his arms. He glances up and sees the open door for freedom, but he also sees Vex dash in front of him to block the exit. As the ranger moves her hands towards him, he springs to sit on his knees and wrestles Vex’s approaching hands, protesting, “Vex, no! No!” 

Percy tilts back to avoid her, allowing Vex the momentum she needs to grab his wrists and shove him over onto his back. Then, she immediately buries her scribbly hands into his torso, causing Percy to resume his giggling. (He should have expected Vex, the ranger with a bear as a companion, to have the advantage when it comes to anything like bear wrestling.) Vax soon rushes over and joins her at Percy’s other side.

“Now, returning to the topic at hand, why won't you decorate with us Percy?” Vex asks as she maneuvers her hands around Percy’s flailing limbs to scratch around his belly, occasionally having to pull away then release his wrist for a few moments to get a good scribble in.

“Hohohow many times dohoho I hahahave to say it! I’m wohohorking!” Percy exclaims while wiggling from left to right. He curls to the side with an enormous smile when Vax gets a scribble at his ribs. 

“Well, you’re not getting much work done like this,” Vax observes as he scratches at Percy’s other pair of ribs and corresponding underarm, making Percy curl up in his giggly ball even tighter.

“Vax has a point, Percy,” Vex agrees. “Either you spend your time decorating with us, or you spend it giggling on the floor. The choice is yours,” she teases. 

Just then, a delicate hand grips the doorframe. Cassandra peeks in. The confusion she first had on her face turns into an understanding smile once she sees her brother laughing with assistance from Vex and Vax. The cheerful sound of the room refreshes her with memories of their childhood, making her smile just an extra bit wider.

Cassandra repositions herself to lean back on the doorframe. “So, how’s the persuasion going?” she raises her voice so it’s heard over Percy’s peels of laughter.

Vex and Vax turn and see Cassandra over their shoulders. They share a smile with her, then return their attention to tickling Percy.

“He’s still being stubborn, as expected, but I think we’re making progress,” Vex scribbles a hand at Percy’s side to prove her point. Percy kicks out his legs with another cluster of giggles.

Cassandra also giggles at the scene. “Percival, I didn’t know you were still ticklish.”

“Neither did he a few minutes ago,” Vax replies for him. 

“Cahahahass! Hehehelp me!” Percy reaches a hand out to her before snapping it back down to for protection against Vax’s hand wiggling at his ribs.

Cassandra glances to the roof and taps her chin. “Hmm. Should I? I am on the side who wants you to come decorate with us…”

“If it helps you decide easier, Cassandra, Percy called you a menace earlier,” Vex mentions.

“Nohoho! I–” Percy shouts before he’s cut off by his own intrusion of laughter. 

“Really?” Cass puts her hands on her hips, playfully taking offense at the remark.

“Yep, a big, mean, menace of a sister. I heard him say it myself,” Vax attests. 

“Percy, did you call me a menace?” Cassandra asks with a lighthearted inflection.

“Nohoho! I mean, yes! But it wahahahas in a different context!” Percy admits. 

“I see. Well, I suppose I will help then.” Cassandra turns her attention to the twins. She places a hand to the side of her mouth like she was about to whisper a secret to them. “Vex. Vax. Make sure to get his hips. That was a spot that always got him laughing up a storm.”

“Whahahat?!” Percy shouts. It only then occurs to him the severity of Cassandra’s statement as the memory of his own ticklishness comes rushing back to him.

“Noted,” Vax nods.

“Cahahass, NO!” Percy tries to sit himself up like he’s about to lunge at Cassandra, but the noble is easily shoved back down to the floor by Vex and Vax.

Cassandra leans on the back of her foot like she’s about to sprint. She speeds through her next words, “Well, I’ll take my leave now. Good luck! I’ll see you out there decorating! Bye!” She springs forward and disappears behind the door frame, as if she is running away before she can get into any more ‘trouble’ with Percy; it’s another reminder of her child-like side coming out despite the mature part she plays.

“Cassandrahaha!” Percy yells towards the empty hallway as if he was cursing her name to the gods.

“Well, you heard her,” Vex says. “Let’s try it!”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Percy objects. He flails his arms to shove and swat away the hands of the twins. Despite his efforts, the half-elven siblings are able to find an opening to push his hands aside and allow Vex to give a squeeze to his hips.

Percy curls forwards with a giggly screech before he crashes back to the floor with an outpouring of laughter. His laugh sounds like a squawking crow that’s learned how to chortle with an additional wheeze. But his laugh is far from being annoying; it’s adorable. His head tilts back and he turns it to the side as he pushes and shoves at the hands latched and digging at his hips, and the other set scribbling at his middle. 

“Wow, Cassandra wasn’t kidding,” Vax smiles, “His laughter really does spike there.” 

“Vehehex! Vahahax! Thahahat tickles!!!” Percy wheezes in a higher pitch, his mind too flooded with his own giggly reaction to think before he just stated the obvious.

“Really?” Vex remarks sarcastically. “Well, at least you’re admitting it now.”

“Sounds like we’re starting to knock some sense into him,” Vax says to his sister. He looks down at his giggling friend, “See, Freddy? Isn’t this so much more fun than working alone in your room all day?”

“I agree, Vax,” Vex says. “I mean, what is so important that you can’t leave your room to decorate and spend some time with us?” Vex teases with a rhetorical question.

“I was making a gift!” Percy shouts.

The twins immediately halt the momentum of their hands. Vex and Vax look at one another in stunned silence. They glance back to their friend, who’s steadying his breathing after expelling his remaining giggles.

“A gift?” Vex asks; her voice leans forward with a sense of curiosity.

The noble takes in a few more breaths of air. “Yes…”

Vex’s expression lifts to one of unbridled elation and she gasps as if she was just given the most exciting news. 

“Who is it for? Is it for me? Tell me! Tell me!” Vex questions him like a giddy child. Vex gives a quick scribble to Percy’s stomach. Percy jolts with another giggle and smacks her hand away. 

“It’s not for you! It’s for Cass,” Percy reveals. “Your gift is already finished.”

Vex shows him a soft, thankful smile.

“Cass? That same Cassandra that you called a menace earlier?” Vax jokes.

Percy rolls his eyes. “Yes, that same Cassandra, who I unfortunately love and care for. If you let me up, I’ll show you the gift.”

The twins each extend a hand out to Percy. They pull him to his feet, and he returns a silent ‘thanks’ to them. He straightens his vest and shirt from their scuffle, then walks towards his desk. When there, he places his hand on the velvet chest.

“This is what I was making for her.” Percy opens the lid. Inside, a small, metal figure pops up—a woman with long bronze hair in a ballroom dress designed for dancing. Reflective glass is the background for her stage as she waltzes from side to side on her platform in the middle of the box, occasionally performing graceful twirls. Her movements are paired with the rhythmic chimes of a bell that plays a lullaby-like version of the jolly Winter’s Crest Festival theme.

“It’s a music box,” Percy finally says.

Vex places her hands on her heart. “Oh, Percy. It’s beautiful.”

Vax wraps a gentle arm around Vex, pulling her close to him. “Cassandra is going to love it.”

“Promise me you wont tell her?” Percy glances at his friends.

“Of course, darling,” Vex nods. “We wouldn’t want to ruin a surprise like this.”

Percy closes the lid. “Now you know why I declined the offer to decorate with you all, and why I was so adamant about working. So if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to it.”

Vex nods again. “I understand, Percy. We’re not going to force you, especially since this is the reason.” Her voice is soft. It’s a drastic change from the teasing Vex that he heard just a few minutes ago. “But, we would still love it if you could come out there with us, if you get a moment.”

“Yeah, despite how much of a pain you can be, we enjoy your company,” Vax shows a soft smile.

“Vex…” Percy’s voice sighs ‘I can’t’ when his words don’t.

Vex continues, “All I’m saying is that I already know that you put a lot of time into Cassandra’s gift, and towards your other gifts, I can only assume.” She puts a hand on his shoulder. “We’re grateful of course, but I know that she, as well as all of us, would also be grateful if you could eventually take a short break and provide us with the gift of your presence.” Vex ends her speech with a soft smile. Percy lifts his head, allowing him and Vex to exchange a sympathetic glance. After their eyes speak their thoughts, Vex slides her hand off his shoulder, and she rejoins Vax. The twins make their way to the door.

Percy looks away from them and hovers over his desk. His peripheral vision shows the music box on one side, and Vex and Vax’s shadows disappearing from his sight on the other. He lays his hand on the music box. His thumb glides over the velvet material. He rubs it, staying silent amongst the clatter of gears turning in his mind.

Now Percy has quiet time to work on his gift—that’s what he wanted in the first place. It was a choice to either sacrifice time with his loved ones, or sacrifice time for his loved ones. They’ll understand his decision. Vex and Vax already do.

He looks once more at the music box. He thinks about Cassandra, Vex’s words, and the rest of his family just down the hall. He wants them to be happy. So does he.

Vex was right. She is pretty skilled in persuasion.

A long sigh, like he was expelling all the air from his lungs, releases from Percy. “Alright.” He pauses, relieved by the comfort that he’s making a good choice. “I’ll come.”

Vex and Vax turn around. “You will?” Vex’s eyes twinkle. “Oh, that’s wonderful, Percy!” She runs to him and grabs his arm. “Come on! Let’s not keep everyone waiting!” she starts tugging him from his desk.

“Vex, hold on!” Percy pulls against her and starts wildly placing some of the parts on his desk back into the wooden crate. Vex, too excited to wait, pulls him back and straight out the door before he can finish. Vax strolls right behind with a big, beaming smile on his face.

What remains scattered on the desk is a couple of the golden-colored gears, and the velvet music box resting safely beside, like a flower patiently waiting for rain to bloom. It’ll be right where he left it when he returns. 

***

When Vex and Vax tug him into the room with an announcement, everyone’s smile grows just a little bit wider than it was before. Grog, Pike, and Keyleth even happen to call out his name in unison like a gleeful cheer. It’s a warm welcome within their wintery landscape. 

Cassandra walks up to him, holding two hand-crafted snowflakes. “Glad you could join us, brother,” she says with a thankful smile and hands him one of the snowflakes.

Percy nods. A relaxed smile makes its way onto his features like he is getting cozy near a fireplace. He takes the parchment snowflake, then follows Cassandra to help with the most current wall being adorned by the Winter’s Crest spirit.

Over the course of their decorative snowstorm, lively conversation is held and some tea is brewed and passed around like the group is having their own little holiday party. Laughs are shared, memories are made when Trinket is dolled up in wintery decorations like a tree (to the bear’s reluctance), and their time together is priceless. 

Time is a gift that can’t be wrapped and tinkered with, but it can be cherished as one all the same.

[neopuff]

title: say it again word count: ~1500 ships/characters: vex/percy, cass summary: Vex visits Percy in his room a few hours after he comes back. ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60056530

x

They hadn't had a chance to talk yet. Not really.

Which was fine with her, if she was being perfectly honest with herself. Vex was still so shocked and awestruck and happy that he was back and he was alive that she hadn't taken the time to figure out what she wanted to say to him.

She doubted that he'd heard what she’d said before he woke up. And even if he had, he probably wouldn't remember it. His body and soul had gone through so much that she had absolutely zero expectations. She loved him dearly, but there was always a small chance that he was angry with her for walking away from him. 

Maybe he even hated her.

Vex took a deep breath and leaned her head against the wall. She didn't really think that he hated her. But the guilt she felt was overwhelming and she needed to talk to him before she started crying about it again.

It was difficult, though. He'd been bathed and fed and rested. Then everyone wanted to chat with him, update him on what he'd missed. Keyleth seemed especially excited to tell him about her and Vax, though Vex never got the impression that Percy even noticed what was going on between the two of them.

His sister was with him at that moment and Vex certainly didn't want to interrupt them. Cassandra had been absent from the group’s discussion about reviving Percy - the magic that Vax has described reminded her of the Briarwoods and though she wasn't going to stop them from trying, she was scared to get her hopes up on something that sounded so dark.

Vex was happy that she came around. She was Percy’s only living family and Vex thought it'd be nice to get to know her better. If they had the opportunity.

“Vex’ahlia?”

She turned her head to find Cass standing outside Percy’s room and staring straight at her. “Hi,” Vex responded, not sure what else to say.

“Have you slept at all?” Cass asked, walking closer and laying her hand on Vex’s arm. “You looked exhausted even before the ritual.”

“Can't sleep.” Vex sighed and gave the younger woman an awkward smile. “I need to talk to him, but…well. How is he? Maybe I should let him rest, or-”

“He's been talking about you quite a bit,” she interrupted. “I think you should go see him now.” Cass tilted her head in the direction of his door. “I've no doubt he wants to see you.”

Vex didn't know how much Cassandra knew about their relationship prior to her embarrassing, romantic speech during his revival. There wouldn’t have been much time for Percy to tell her before they went off on another world-saving mission. It was nice to know that she approved, though.

“Right,” she responded, pushing herself off the wall. Her heart started beating faster as she realized she still hadn't figured out what to say to him. “Thank you.”

“Just remember that he's still recovering,” Cass said semi-jokingly as she walked off. “Don’t exert him too much.”

Normally such a comment wouldn't have embarrassed her, but Vex felt herself blush at that. She did want to touch him and feel him again, but at that moment she just wanted to hear his voice and make sure he knew how she felt.

She knocked lightly on the door and opened it, wincing at the creaking sound before poking her head in. “Percy?”

His eyes widened and almost seemed to light up at the sight of her. “Vex!” he said excitedly, adjusting himself into an upright position.

Vex came into the room fully and closed the door behind her. “How are you feeling, darling?”

He smiled at her with that insanely charming smile that she loved, loved, loved. “Better. Not my best, but…well. Anything’s better than being dead.”

“Don't I know it?” she replied cheekily, walking over and taking a seat on the edge of his bed. She'd taken a moment to decide where exactly to sit - her natural instinct was to scoot him over and plop her butt right next to his, but the rarely-used, more rational part of her brain told her to sit further away. Next to his legs. Neutral territory.

They silently stared at each other for a few comfortable moments, then Vex took a deep breath. “I'm…sure you're feeling overwhelmed. With everyone talking to you at once.”

“It's been fine,” he answered quietly, staring down at her right hand. It wasn't too terribly far away from his own, and his fingers twitched like they wanted to feel her against him.

“Right.” She lifted up her hands and held them together in her lap, playing with her fingers. It was difficult to come up with the words she needed to say. “I just…I wanted to say…”

Percy held his breath, staring at her profile.

“I'm so sorry.”

“Sorry?” Percy asked, genuinely confused. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Vex.”

“Of course I do!” She whipped her head towards him, frustrated that tears were pricking at her eyes again. “I shouldn't have-! I…I was a coward, Percy. You opened your heart to me and I walked away. It was awful. Unforgivable. I…it was cruel.”

He blinked slowly at her, then smiled sadly. “It's fine. I knew you weren't ready to say it and pushed you anyway.”

Vex shook her head. “But I should've been. I was holding myself back and I…” She took a deep breath and leaned towards him on the bed, staring straight into his eyes. “I love you, Percival. I'm in love with you.”

Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes wet, her hair a mess, and her voice slightly hoarse. She felt desperate - needing him to know how much she regretted not telling him how she felt sooner.

Percy’s expression softened and he gave her a dreamy smile. “I know.”

Not expecting that response, Vex’s cheeks burned hotter and she glanced away from his gaze. “I-I know, but…I wanted you to hear it from me. It's not the-”

“I did hear it.”

She shut her mouth and connected with his eyes again, blinking slowly. “...you heard?”

Percy groaned and sat up even straighter, scooting as close to her as he could, and grabbed her hand with his. He gave her hand a tight squeeze and smiled again. “I heard every word, Vex’ahlia. Your voice grounded me, made me remember who I am.”

The blush on her cheeks didn't go away as she considered just how vulnerable and open she'd been at that moment. She used her free hand to play with her hair. “...I meant it. All of it.”

He tugged her hand, pulling her towards him, and Vex was more than happy to comply. Their lips touched and it felt like a fire was ignited in her heart - she breathed out every moment of longing she'd felt about him and melted into the kiss. She'd missed him so, so much.

Vex pulled away for air and was about to dive right back in when Percy lifted a shaky hand to her face, gently caressing her cheek with his thumb.

“Could you say it again?” he asked, eyes closed and lips reddened with her lipstick.

She smiled and pecked his lips once, then twice. “I love you, Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo. I love you so much and I cannot wait til you have your strength back so I can show you just how strongly I mean it.”

Percy chuckled and kissed her again - a deeper, stronger kiss that time, though it only lasted a few seconds as he pulled back for some air. “I'll keep that in mind while I'm recovering,” he said with a charming smirk.

Vex felt like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders as he held her face in front of his and kissed her once again.

“What would I do without you?” he mumbled softly against her lips.

She took another deep breath and lifted her hands to grab his, holding them against the top of her chest. “Let's never find out, darling. Neither of us are allowed to die again anytime soon.”

Percy turned her hands so he could hold hers and he exhaled loudly. “I’d hate to go against the direct orders of a Whitestone noblewoman.”

At that, Vex felt the dam break. The thought of being a Lady in his home, a part of the thing he held most dear, the chance to be with him in such a beautiful place with such wonderful people - made the tears spill from her eyes again. She laughed and leaned forward to kiss him once more. “I love you.”

“And I love you,” he responded eagerly, wiping away her tears. “Will you stay with me tonight?”

She shook her head and reached out her hand, laying it on his chest to feel his heartbeat. “I'm not leaving your side ever again.”

He smiled and put his hand on top of hers. “I wouldn't want it any other way.”

[bloodinmymilkshake]

An AU where Vax and Percy knew each other before the events of canon, when Lord de Rolo hires Vax to work at the castle as Cassandra's personal guard.

Cassandra thinks she has a crush on Vax, but what she really wants is to be like him.

Percy thinks he just wants to be like Vax, but in reality he falls in love with him.

Vax thinks that Percy will help him brighten up the days before his escape, while he tries to get close to the family jewels.

They all need to sort out their feelings.

You can read here:

[critter-genfic-events]

Funny Gen Recs

This week, we have fourteen funny fics for folks! Pranks, fake marriages, and lots of unlikely pairings under the cut - and as always, don't forget to kudos or comment if you like them!

Working Late by percahlia (585,General) Warnings: None Pairings: Cassandra de Rolo & Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III

A sibling moment after an explosion in Percy's workshop.

Reccer says: Percy does his best 'cat who didn't quite make the jump but totally meant to do that' impression

What Goes Up by krakens (2311,General) Warnings: None Pairings: Grog Strongjaw & Pike Trickfoot

Pike suggests playing a prank on Vax. Grog suggests putting a cow in his room.

Reccer says: It's a silly little slice of life that reminds me of all of the silly little moments that happened amidst all of the drama of Campaign 1.

GOBSMACKED (Five Times Nott Gave the Shovel Talk) by Mikkeneko (4381,General) Warnings: None Pairings: Nott & Caleb Widogast

She had to be on the lookout for heart-thieves who would toy with her boy's affections and then break his heart and make him cry afterwards. Caleb wouldn't be looking out for himself because he was so very smart about so many things and so very dumb about feelings.

Reccer says: Amazing, pitch-perfect early Nott voice. I could imagine Sam doing this bit.

Wizard Immortality Clause by jakia (808,Teen) Warnings: Pairings: Caleb Widogast/Essek Thelyss

Caleb decides he's going to live just as long as Essek will. The Raven Queen objects, and sends Vax down to try and handle it

Reccer says: Caleb and Vax's interactions are pure gold

Slip Knot by AgentMint (4287,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Beauregard Lionett & Caleb Widogast

5 times Beau and Caleb pretended to be married and 1 time they absolutely didn’t (thank the gods)

Reccer says: Amazing sibling energy from the two of them

trust their steps to a dance that is lighter than air by grayintogreen (1085,General) Warnings: N/A Pairings: N/A

Ghostslayers have an ability called Aether Walk. Purple tieflings like to abuse it.

Reccer says: Short, cute, and exactly how each of the tieflings would abuse their power.

Dwendalian Book Club by SkipDelicious (1182,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings:

As is customary, Jester bequeaths the newest member of the Mighty Nein with her copy of Tusk Love

Reccer says: Amazing banter

the coyotes know her name by grayintogreen (2561,Teen) Warnings: N/A Pairings: N/A

Jester’s divine intervention attempt at the Vergessen Sanatorium works. Artagan comes up with something helpful.

Reccer says: A funny what-if that’s fun and in character.

ghost is a verb by mousecookie (3664,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Jourrael | The Inevitable End & The Crown Keepers, Jourrael | The Inevitable End & Opal (Critical Role)

In which the EXU crew are themselves, and Lolth's chosen assassin takes her first deeply reluctant steps towards becoming The Inevitable Friend

Reccer says: This is one of my comfort reads - one of my favorite things is the use of the pink font for Opal's messages

Rock and Roll Kitchen by Beauteousmajesty (892,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings:

Milo is summoned from their work for a meal prepared by Ashton and Fresh Cut Grass. Regretfully, Milo is fairly certain that neither of them can cook. It's free food though, so they're willing to try.

Reccer says: It feels very much like friends who know each other very well teasing each other

Bite Me by daretodhampir (stardustedknuckles) (885,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Fearne Calloway & Ashton Greymoore

Early on, Fearne has a couple of questions on Ashton's physicality.

Reccer says: Fearne is wonderfully weird on this, in a way that's incredibly endearing

Old Friends and Familar Faces by Fishpaste (2374,General) Warnings: None Pairings: Beauregard Lionett & Percy De Rolo

It had just been supposed to be another boring meeting of making the incremental progress at putting Trent Ikithon away forever. However, there is something far too familiar about Lord Percival de Rolo and Beau is determined to figure it out.

Reccer says: It starts off somewhat serious, and then takes an amazing left turn when they recognize each other. Perfect

Polymorph for Fun and Profit by MasterQwertster (4548,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings:

Short snippet stories of Bells Hells' (mis)adventures in using/abusing the Polymorph spell.

Reccer says: It's a very quick read since many of the chapters are super short and just a lot of silly shenanigans.

Nonagon Unbridled by fruitzbat (1230,General) Warnings: Spoilery re: the LitMoR series if you care about that! Pairings: Jester Lavorre & Lucien

Jester reads a fairy tale to Lucien, who has been confined by the Nein. Fanfic of a fanfic (Molly Lives AU: Life in the Margin of Redemption series by grayintogreen).

Reccer says: Funny side story that honestly doesn't require too much familiarity with LitMoR.

This is one of our weekly communally-generated gen rec lists. Every week we announce a new theme and allow anyone to submit a fic recommendation. Please note that the summary and content notes are provided by the reccer, and may be different than what the author has provided. Please assume good intentions all around. <3

And hey, anyone includes you!

Next week's theme is hurt/comfort! It should be a popular one!

Then, it'll be Yasha, clothing, and then time skips/future fics!

Any fics coming to mind?  Well, then use this form to submit!

If you're looking for some more, check out some fics written in the critter genfic bingo tag, or the older rec lists! Or you can request your own card and join in on the fun!

[critmaswishingtree]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Laudna & Imogen Temult, Ashton Greymoore & Laudna, Cassandra de Rolo & Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, Cassandra de Rolo & Laudna Characters: Laudna (Critical Role), Imogen Temult, Ashton Greymoore, Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, Cassandra de Rolo Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Forgiveness, Laudna Character Study (Critical Role), Cassandra de Rolo Needs a Hug Summary:

After coming back from the dead for a second time, Laudna meets with one of the women who helped to kill her.

[hayleysayshay]

Hey! For the character ask meme, Cassandra de Rolo, 4, 21, and 26!

My blorbooooo

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

Anything would be great, honestly.

Okay, so I think a book describing Cassandra's travels post Vecna would be really nice to see. I would love to know more about her inner world, her inner voice, what does she think of her family, and her new family like Vex, and the birth of Vesper? I think book are the most flexible in terms of length so you can make it how you want.

TBH if the 'Whitestone Chronicles' line of comics does continue for TLOVM, I think we might see a Cassandra comic, and that would be good as well since I think comics do lend themselves well to CR as a company.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

With Cassandra, I just like her having rich person brain. Compared to Percy in canon, Cassandra didn’t get the chance to really live among the people. She goes travelling after the campaign and sees the world, but I don’t think she’d actually have that real world experience like Percy has. So I think though Cassandra’s down to earth and grounded due to her suffering, I think inherently Percy would ‘get it’ a bit more despite being naturally more insufferable.

I also like writing Cassandra as long-suffering due to Percy’s antics, the girl needs a break from him.

Also I like it when Cassandra gets to be young and plays into her little shit energy.

And things I don’t like… obvs she’s a little seen character compared to Percy so you rely on HC a lot, which means it’s easy to doubt your characterisation of her! I’ve never really settled on a sexuality for her either, my ideas keep changing.

26. What's something the character has done you can't get over? Be it something funny, bad, good, serious, whatever?

Okay so honestly with Cassandra honestly there’s a not a specific moment that sticks out especially. But Cassandra getting the kill on Delilah always slays.

And I enjoy Cassandra explaining the Grey Hunt trials to Vex. Wish we had more Cassandra and Vex moments in general!

[authormars]

Okay, so I’m planning a fic and I need some help from those who are much more experienced with Vox Machina and DnD in general to help me.

I’m planning a fic with the simple basis of Cassandra escapes rather than Percy does, but I need to plan how Cassandra’s mechanics are going to work. I haven’t figured out how I want Orthax to work yet because Cass probably wouldn’t be able to make the Pepperbox or anything similar.

I would love any help with this!!

[ravendruid]

hi hello i would like to request de rolo siblings + rainy days please

Hi Anon! Thank you so much for sending the prompt! I picked Percy and Cass, I hope that's the siblings you were thinking of ^_^ I hope you like it!

Chess and Tea

(Read on AO3)

Cassandra de Rolo takes off her boots with a sigh of relief at finally being able to get out of the soggy clothes she finds herself in. Her thick, woolen socks are drenched, her trousers stick to her legs in a way that makes it hard to walk, and her tunic feels cold and uncomfortable, not to mention her pasty hair dripping down her face. Overall, Cassandra is ready to dry off, put on a comfortable pair of pajamas and spend the rest of her day curled in front of the fire reading. Alas, someone has other plans, if the knock on her bedroom door is any indication.

“Come in,” Cassandra turns to the door, halfway through taking off her drenched jacket. Percival peeks in with his untamed white hair and scraggly snowy beard, dragging a cane Cassandra knows is just for show—and protection—behind him. 

“May I?” Percy confirms. Cassandra nods, then gestures towards the small sitting area in front of the already lit fireplace.

“Is everything alright, brother?” Cassandra steps closer to the fire. She feels its warmth travel up her clothes and, even though it doesn’t do much to dry her off, it’s still comforting.

“Not in the slightest.” Percy shakes his head with a fond smile. “I wanted to check in on you. I heard you’ve just arrived from Westruun.”

“I did, yes. Negotiations went well, if that’s what you are wondering.”

“Well,” Percy hesitates. It has been a good two decades since Cassandra saw her brother hesitate and blush the way he is—in fact, she can absolutely recall the last time he did so. It was when he asked her to title Vex’ahlia.

“Percival, no offense. I’m drenched and cold and I would very much like a bath. Can you make this quick, please?” Cassandra interrupts him. 

Percy fumbles with the cane, hemming and hawing, then he finally says, “I was wondering if you had some free time to spend with your favorite brother.”

“You are my only brother, Percival,” She rolls her eyes, but gives her older brother a teasing smile. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, after you bathe and clean yourself, of course,” Percy nods and wrinkles his nose as if to say Cassandra stinks. “I was thinking maybe you could join me for a game of chess over tea and biscuits.”

“What? Chess and tea? Where does this request come from? Do you want something?”

“Can’t a brother just ask his little sister to spend some time just because?” Percy asks, slightly offended. He gets up and strides to Cassandra, then raises his hand as if he is about to rub her hair but thinks better of it and lets the hand fall to his side. 

“I suppose. Sure. I will join you in a moment, then.” Cassandra nods, then leads him to the door. 

Cassandra joins Percival in the family’s private library. The man is already sitting at a table by the large windows that, on a sunny day, overlook the city. Today, however, they make the room look like they are on the other side of a massive waterfall. 

When she approaches, Cassandra notices the fully set up chess board on the table, right next to the tea set and a plate of assorted biscuits, scones and cookies. “Hello, brother. I see you are ready,” She greets Percy, who gets up when he sees her. The gesture is not lost on her. No matter how many decades have passed since they recovered Whitestone, Percival still haunts himself for leaving Cassandra to die in the snow when they were young and escaping. 

“I–yes, I am. Please,” Percy extends a hand to the chair, knowing full well Cassandra would fuss about it if he pulled it for her. She might be a lady, but she is his sister first and foremost, and brothers don’t need to pull the chair for their sisters—or at least in their household.

“So, did you really just want to spend time with me?” Cassandra asks. She watches as Percy pours milk into his tea, then she picks up the sugar and drops a cube in her own cup. Percy merely nods, sips the tea and moves his first piece. 

“I was wondering how you’ve been? You have been working hard lately, and I have barely seen you.”

Cassandra plays her first move, nothing special to write home about, and nods. “Work has been busy lately, yes. I noticed you have been spending less time in your workshop. Are the kids running you ragged, brother?” She snorts.

“You have no idea,” Percy replies and for the first time in a long time—if not ever—Cassandra really sees the exhaustion and sorrow pooling underneath her brother’s eyes. If the wrinkles on his forehead could speak, they would tell tales of all the guilt Percy carries on his shoulders, of all the concerns and worries he has for his family, his friends, his city, and even the world. “How about you, sister? How are things with Kynan?”

“Good,” Cassandra allows a smile. It wasn’t shocking when, a decade ago, the shy man went to Percy to ask permission to court her. Cassandra rolled in laughter when Kynan told her about the encounter and how threatening Percival was to his captain. “Really good, in fact.”

“Good. I would hate to replace the captain of my guard,” Percy jokes, then his face falls into a serious expression. “Cass… y–you know you can talk to me, right? I understand our relationship hasn’t always been close but… you know I’m here, right, sister?”

“Of course, Percival. I know.” Cassandra says what she has felt like it’s the truth for a while now. “You are my only brother, after all.” She smiles.

“Right you are,” Percy smiles back. He moves a piece on the chessboard that makes Cassandra gasp in outrage, “How dare… Alright. That’s it. I’m about to beat your ass!”

They play the rest of the afternoon—Cassandra manages to beat Percy twice in the three games they play—until the tea grows cold and the rain gives up, allowing the sunset to shine its light on the resplendent, golden leaves of the Sun Tree below in the center of the city. 

Every curse has its end, every darkness must fall to the light, and sometimes, an older brother wanting to play chess over tea and biscuits with his younger sister is just an older brother wanting to make up for lost time, and nothing else.

[bardicindignation]

In which Vax is having a Normal Time. He's coping, he's fine, this much internal screaming is completely healthy, what are you talking about?

[joyfulsongbird]

“Kynan is assigned to be Cassandra’s guard by Vax after returning from Glintshore. They both have a bit of trepidation about each other but find that there’s a magnetism and a similarity between them that is undeniable.”

*

first chapter of my kynan and cassandra fic is posted!!

**chapter published every saturday!**

(special thank you to @mightymightynein @dianabarnes221 @thelyricthepoetthedreamer who were my editors!!! you all are amazing stunning fantastic)

[hemofiliac]

Desired

— synopsis: Cassandra has an experience with a god all too familiar to her.

— characters: Cassandra De Rolo, Matron of Ravens, Champion of the matron of ravens (implied Vax’ildan)

— pairings: Cassandra De Rolo/Matron of ravens, Implied Sylas Briarwood/Cassandra De Rolo

— content: Dead dove do not eat, dubcon, wet dreams, death, implied child abuse, implied r*pe, manifesting of a god, near death experiences, bad dreams, victim blaming, use of restraint, choking, character study

— Word count: 600 — Authors note: I think my other one got content flagged??? Hopefully this one goes through

Perhaps it was natural for Cassandra to find herself in this position, natural for her to be pinned under the weight of another, unsure of whether she desired this or not. Hushed breath, face pressed into the silk of her sheets, large, porcelain hands slipping from her neck to the small of her back, fingers ghosting over the ridges of her spine. Her pale skin had been painted with purple and green since the night of the dinner, yet this being hadn’t seemed to mind her flaws. On the contrary, every touch imminated warmth, droplets of heat against her perpetually cold skin. As the warmth seeped into her skin, threads of spider-like golden silk began to weave their way up her bed and around her limbs. First, her ankles, next, her thighs, then, her wrists, and lastly, her neck. As the thread slid around her neck, she couldn’t help but compare it to the feeling of his hands, how they explored her body without care, grasped at her clothes with a fervor reminiscent of a beast, sharpened teeth, long claws, animalistic grunts. How any woman could love him always plagued her. Was it ignorance? Complacency? Or was it that Delilah was just as animalistic as he was? 

“Aah—” Despite her efforts, a sound escaped as the thread tightened, blood pumping through her frail frame, hunger for air already settling into her chest. 

“Hush my child…” like silk, a woman’s voice flowed from behind her, occupying the space of the room like she was the air itself, occupying her. Warmth flooded Cassandra’s body as she lost the will to strain her muscles against the bed, fingers and toes unfurling into the silken sheets below her. The threads began to pull at her, silk turning into razors with the slightest bit of pressure, lines cutting into her pale flesh. The tighter they pulled, the hungrier her lungs, lips parted as she began a futile attempt to struggle for air. She wanted to beg, to plead with this being to spare her, to perhaps allow her one more chance to see the only family she had left— yet no sound escaped, her body completely limp in the grasp of her threads.  Was it to silence her? To snuff her out before she continued to sully her family’s name? Or was this a gift, an act of mercy to allow her one last moment of peace before she was whisked away with the rest of her family. Closing her eyes, Cassandra allowed her vision to be filled with darkness. Who was she to fight against the will of those stronger than her, it hadn’t gotten her anywhere before, why would she try now? She had the luxury of dying with dignity, something her family had not been given. 

Accept it.

Savor it.

As her mind blanked and her body lost it’s function, she felt something soft, a feather, black as the night, gracing against her fingertips. A voice, unfamiliar, masculine, comforting.

“Now is not your time, Kestrel. Wake up.” 

Air flooded Cassandra’s lungs in the matter of seconds, the sensation around her limbs dissipating as her eyes began to readjust to the room. Empty. Torn portraits and blood stained sheets, her body lie cold and bruised on top of bed, no blanket or gown to save her dignity. Across from her bed, a portrait of her captors stared at her, gazing upon her flesh like hungry wolves. They called her daughter, she called them mother and father, even as he sank his teeth into her flesh and drained her of her essence, she was expected to give them the same respect she gave her own parents. 

Turning over, she curled in on herself, a chill running across her nude body, legs sore, lungs burning with every breath, sheets damp between her legs. 

Perhaps she did desire it.

[blorbologist]

Architects of our Demise: Chapter 18

[ Age of Arcanum AU | Perc'ahlia | M | Updates every 2 weeks]

[ Vax is the Warden of Ravens, Vex is his Champion, Percival is the creator of aeormatons, and FCG is ~vibing~ ]

[ Chapter 18: As a proper reformed mad scientist, APA format is Percival's go-to for a bibliography of cryptic texts. Though he is not quite sure how to cite the spellbook of one Vespin Chloras... ]

--

An itemized list of what they (read: Vex’ahlia, Percival could not identify shit) found in the sanctum of Archmage Vespin Chloras:

One half of a bow made of unnatural gold

Remnants of a summoning circle (hypothesized by Vex’ahlia to have similarities to the one she saw when the Warden ascended)

Ruby dust with flecks of blood (hypothesized by Cassandra to be components to summon a powerful fiend)

a. Roughly seven dozen disenchanted books  

b. A dozen disenchanted books left open at possibly relevant pages

Seventeen conjurer's tools (disenchanted)

No remains of Vespin Chloras

No flower petals

An itemized list of what Percival read in the sanctum of Archmage Vespin Chloras:

--

Chloras, V. (n.d.) Personal spellbook of one Vespin Chloras, malconvoker and infernalist (evidence of several inactive protective runes; thoroughly coded, likely impossible to crack)

“Well,” Percival says, flipping through the tome, “he certainly did not skip town. Not without this.”

Vex ignores him. She turns the gold over in her hands. Over and over; whatever she sees is not something she can make sense of.

And then she puts it back - exactly where she found it. “Percy - I’ll need you to stay here and see what you can learn from these books.”

“Beg pardon?”

“And Cassandra too,” Vex decides. She speaks quickly, before either can interrupt: “This is bad. Really, really bad. There’s just enough that I recognize to make me think it was - if not what -” she trips on the name, “- the Warden and I did, then something close.”

“The Warden and I?!” Cass snaps.

Percival tells her, “I’ll fill you in later.”

“I’m the Raven Prince’s sister, darling - not sure how you missed out on that tidbit with all the spying and eavesdropping.” Vex sighs through her nose. “Anyways. Whatever happened here is bigger than us; we have to inform Vasselheim, get more people on this.”

Cassandra, irked, glances up from where she’s crouched. “And once you do they’ll certainly confiscate and destroy potentially blasphemous materials.” Points to a spot on the floor. “This is a rune; I can’t make out the rest, but by now we can assume it was some sort of summoning circle. Vasselheim does not like demons.”

“Not at all. So: it would be amazing if you two could learn as much as you can from this place - without removing anything, just in case - before we let the Dawn Marshals know.”

Vex pauses for breath. “I also want to see what I can learn - more gossip about this Vespin, if any other Champions felt something weird. You know - that sort of thing.

“I’ll be back sometime with snacks!” With that, she manifests the wings and flies up the spiral staircase.

(It’s reassuring that Vex’ahlia is no longer worried Cassandra will try to kill him. That, or it slipped her mind in the moment. Or maybe she just wanted to escape this space.)

[From the beginning] [Keep reading on AO3!`]

[bloodinmymilkshake]

!spoilers for episode 12 of season 3!

Post-resurrection.

Percy is still very weak and his lover and his sister have to take care of him.

Here is: very protective Vax, absolutely useless Percy, Vax carries Percy in his arms and helps him to take a bath (in a non-sexual way), Cass being Cass (she is a little lesbian disaster), they all share one bed for three and hugging a lot.

Read here:

[critter-genfic-events]

This week, we have nine (Nein) fics featuring Forgiveness! Whether it's forgiving family, found family, or themselves, sometimes everyone needs a little more grace. Check them out below the cut, and if you like them, comment or kudos!

Grief Takes Many Forms by Multifandom_Damnation (4246,General) Warnings: None Pairings: Cassandra & Percy De Rolo

After the events of campaign one, Percy has a drink. Cassandra joins him.

Reccer says: Percy and Cassandra need to talk more, and it's great to finally get some catharsis, while still very much acting like siblings

Kill The Monster by CriticalRolemance (SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFic) (4958,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Vax & Caleb, Caleb & The Mighty Nein

Caleb and Vax have a talk. Later, Caleb kills Ikithon and imagines what getting his revenge actually means.

Reccer says: This very early (2019!) imagining of Caleb getting to kill Ikithon and finally forgive himself for killing his family is fantastic and has stuck in my head all this time

All things in Perspective by firefright (20729,Mature) Warnings: None Pairings: Essek Thelyss & Verin Thelyss

In which Verin refuses to believe Essek's death is as simple as the Dynasty wants to make it seem, and it takes meeting the Mighty Nein in person to get the answers he seeks.

Reccer says: It's got a complicated Essek and a complicated Verin

sometimes god happens fast by principessa (3674,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Deirta Thelyss & Essek Thelyss, The Mighty Nein & Essek Thelyss

The Mighty Nein listen in on a conversation between Essek and his mother

Reccer says: Deirta is often shown as a cold, unforgiving mother - it's refreshing to see a version that readily forgives her son for his treason

crawling from the battle to the other side by Solanaceae (6553,General) Warnings: None Pairings: None

For a few days in the Blooming Grove, three wizards navigate gardening, atonement, and one another’s guilt

Reccer says: One of the most popular genres of fic after the finale was 'Volstruckers and Essek navigating gardening' and this is probably my favorite of the fics that came out of that. It showcases great gasp of Astrid and Wulf and their issues, as well as a phenomenal take on post-canon Essek in the aftermath of Cognouza. It's very sweet, very playful, and very emotional.

call me your destiny, call me a liar by grayintogreen (5200,General) Warnings: None Pairings: None

Lucien and Molly are split into two individuals in the wake of Cognouza's defeat. They're both coping with what that means.

Reccer says: Deals with both Molly's fears over returning vs Lucien struggling to figure out how to proceed now that he's lost everything and all the emotional struggles that entails.

a place to start by parttimemodel (1703,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Laudna & Orym

Laudna and Orym have a talk after the Solstice

Reccer says: I like fanfic that allows for moments that didn't have time to happen in the stream, and this allows Orym to forgive himself for being chosen by Fearne instead of Laudna after the Otohan fight.

Not the Needle, Nor the Thread by Operafloozy (2149,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Essek & Deirta Thelyss

A teenaged Deirta hides out at Essek's place for a few months. They get used to each other.

Reccer says: The complicated family dynamics don't get all the way to forgiveness, but it's an interesting look at Essek starting to forgive his mother for being who she is.

Rats in the Belly by icarus_chained (1705,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Grog & Percy

Grog thinks over the fact that Percy handed him a cursed sword

Reccer says: I love the depth if character the fic was able to give Grog while also being very in character

If you liked this rec list, follow along for more! We'll be posting a new list with a new theme each Monday. Want to make your own recs? Check out the rules, and then use the form to submit!

Next week, we're featuring your favorite canon divergent AUs - AKA, when something goes slightly differently in Exandria, and the story goes off from there.

After that, we have grief, Pike Trickfoot, and then mysteries!

If you're looking for some more, check out some fics written in the critter genfic bingo tag, or the older rec lists! Or you can request your own card and join in on the fun!

[essayofthoughts]

Odi | Chapter 8

Cass wonders now if he hadn’t realised very early on what she hasn’t been able to say. If the twins haven’t always known just how hard it is to return to the empty spaces where family should be.

Read @ AO3 | Read From Start

[vexahlias-bow]

Chapter 2 out now!