#i just think it would be funny if pike and vex are bored waiting for the signal from imogen or fcg

[sunstone-smiles]

The Legendary Vox Machina Tickle Fight

Original request (from 🦋 Anon): "LE GASP!!!! UR A FAN OF VOX MACHINA TOO 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱 Omggggg can you PLEEEEEASE do day 18 tickle fight with the Vox Machina group? They're all so cute together and I'd love to see that!"

Author’s note: Omg, this turned into a huge fic, but I have no regrets, Lol. Here’s Day 18 of Tickletober: “Tickle fight” from August’s Prompt List! I hope you enjoy!

Series: The Legend of Vox Machina

Characters: Pike, Grog, Scanlan, Keyleth, Vex, Vax, Percy, and Trinket

Word count: 4,585

Summary: The Vox Machina crew is having a boring day, so Scanlan attempts to lighten the mood, but Grog’s misunderstanding of one of Scanlan’s words soon turns into a playful fight between the party.  Enjoy!

---

It’s just that kind of day, where the Vox Machina crew gets to relax with one another, but they’re teetering on the edge of drab boredom. They don’t want to go out. Too much effort. So whatever is available in their current cozy sitting room is what keeps them occupied.

Pike, standing on a chair so she can see better over a wooden table, cups a pair of dice in her hands; the sound of the dice clicking can be heard as she shakes them. Grog sits across from her with the table height at his stomach due to his large size. The muffled collision of dice can be heard in his hands as well.

“Ready, Grog?” Pike asks her friend.

“Ready!”

At the same time, they throw their dice onto the table. Pike counts the two numbers on her dice quickly. “I got a six!”

“A three! I win!” Grog celebrates.

“I hate to break it to you, buddy, but six is higher than three,” Pike says sweetly, understanding that her friend has difficulty with numbers.

“Aww…” Grog deflates a little. 

“It’s okay, buddy! We can try a different game.”

Grog leans back in his chair like all the muscles in his body have gone limp. “But we’ve already tried so many. I’m bored.” 

“Heh,” Pike leans her elbow on the table, “Can’t blame you there, buddy.”

“Don’t worry, everyone! Your savior is here!” Scanlan walks into the room, making a performance out of his entrance. He runs up to the same wooden table Pike and Grog are at, hops up onto a chair and onto the table like it was a stage and he was a vendor. “I saw that it was a little dreary in here today, so I know just how to lighten the mood,” Scanlan moves his eyebrows up and down when he says “mood.”

“Oh goody, more mind numbing dirty jokes,” Vex says from her seat across the room. Trinket’s head is in her lap as she passes the time by brushing his fur. Vax sits in a separate chair next to her, polishing his daggers. Meanwhile, Percy draws in his sketchbook as he sits in a chair up against the front wall near the doorframe, while Keyleth sits next to him in another chair and touches up the leaves of a potted plant.

“No no, nothing dirty,” Scanlan replies. “I have tailored this joke to be pristine and appropriate. Ahem!” Scanlan clears his throat loudly. 

“What do you call a cow that’s good at playing an instrument?” Scanlan asks his crowd of friends. He waits and looks around at each of them to keep them in suspense. Then, he answers. “A Moo-sician! Eh? Eh?” he winks and elbows the air.

All of his friends slowly look at each other before looking back up at Scanlan, unamused and in total silence. If crickets were in the room, they would be chirping.

Scanlan puts his hands on his hips. “What? Nothing? Tough crowd.”

“It sounds like you need to get better material, my friend,” Vax shows a brief smile.

“Yes, I would think you of all people would come up with better material than simple puns, Scanlan,” Percy teases.

“I don’t know. I thought it was a little funny,” Keyleth admits.

Scanlan gestures an appreciative hand to the Ashari. “Thank you, Keyleth! But as for the rest of you! How did you not find it funny?! That was one of my best rib-ticklers!”

Grog places a finger to his chin. “Oooh, wait! No wonder no one laughed, Scanlan!” Grog exclaims. The goliath stands from his seat and walks around the table to be behind Scanlan. “That wasn’t a rib-tickler! You got to use your hands. Like this!” Grog finishes his sentence by swiftly moving his hands under Scanlan’s arms and tickling his ribs. The smaller man jumps with a yelp in surprise and throws his elbows down to his sides. 

“Grohohohog!” Scanlan already begins giggling, “I didn’t mehehehean it literally-hehehe! It’s a figure ohohohof speech!”

Grog tilts his head, genuinely confused, “You’ve lost me.”

Pike perks up, a grin brightening her features like the glow of her divine magic. “Oh, yeah! Now this is something exciting!” She stands up straight like she was preparing to charge into a battle. 

“Tickle fight!!!” Pike calls out with the same ecstatic tone as if she was announcing a tavern brawl for everyone to see. She leaps onto the table and rushes over to Scanlan. 

“Grog, hold him for me!” she exclaims.

“You’ve got it, buddy!” Grog keeps his hands under Scanlan’s arms, easily holding the bard in place as his fingers wiggle against his ribs.

“Nohoho, no, no! Pihihihikehehehe!” Scanlan’s laughter increases when Pike joins in and scribbles at his sides. Scanlan curls himself to the side and tucks his face in his shoulder as Pike and Grog successfully team attack him. Scanlan’s joke may have not lightened the dull mood of the room, but his own laughter certainly does.

“Heh,” Vax chuckles as he watches from the sidelines. “Too bad for you, Scanlan. Looks like you’ve waged a war with Pike and Grog.”

“Remember our scuffles that usually turned into tickle fights?” Vex smiles at her brother.

“Ah, yes. You mean the ones I always won?” Vax returns a smug grin.

“Excuse me?” Vex says, playfully offended. “If I recall, you are more ticklish than I. I’d have you begging for mercy in seconds.” Vex places Trinket’s brush on her seat, keeping her eyes trained on Vax.

Vax places his dagger on the table and leans forward, keeping his grin and his eyes on Vex. “I beg to differ, Stubby.”

“Well, I’ll show you, Scrawny!” Vex exclaims and lunges her hands at Vax, immediately getting a solid scribble to his ribs. Vax yelps as the pulse of ticklishness hits his form, momentarily paralyzing him before he clamps his arms down to his sides, then shifts tactics to try and shove his sister away.

“Vehehehehex!” the male twin leans himself off his chair, then crashes to the floor. Vex pounces down after him and tickles his ribs from behind, causing Vax to release a secondary burst of giggles before he curls up and rolls onto his back to attempt to grapple his sister’s wrists. He leans his head back and kicks his legs behind her.

“See, now what did I tell you, dear brother? You’re still the more ticklish one,” Vex teases and easily slips her hands from Vax’s grasp to continue tickling him. There’s no follow up response from Vax except a continuous stream of giggles and a loud snort. Knowing the sound he just made, he curls himself onto his side and tries to hide his face in his arm.

“Aww, and you still snort too. How adorable,” Vex lays the teases on thick.

“Shuhuhuhut up!” Vax finally responds.

“Hey, that’s not very nice. It seems I just have to tickle you more to change your attitude,” Vex smiles and scribbles a hand towards her brother’s belly, causing him to curl himself up tighter. As the twins scuffle, Trinket happily growls at them before trotting off towards the doorway to lie down.

“Hehe, looks like the twins have already roped themselves into the fight,” Keyleth chuckles from her seat.

“It’s inevitable that siblings will get themselves into little squabbles from time to time,” Percy says beside her, not even taking his eyes off his sketchbook.

Keyleth turns to him with a smile. “Did you usually get into tickle fights with your siblings, Percy?”

He glances up at her. “Me? Oh no, no. I don’t do tickle fights.” He returns to sketching.

Keyleth tilts her head. “Huh? But, it definitely sounded like you were speaking from experience…”

Before Keyleth can ask another question, there’s a Scanlan sized giggly scream from the other side of the room. Grog has grabbed Scanlan’s arms and pulled them to the side to allow Pike to scribble into his underarms.

“A lihihihittle hehehehelp here wohohohould be–hehehe nice!” Scanlan shouts out to whichever one of his party members is willing to listen.

“Hold on, Scanlan! I’m coming!” Keyleth answers the call. She places the plant on her chair, then runs over in the direction of Pike. The Ashari makes it to the edge of the table and tries to swipe at Pike, like she was attempting to catch a rabbit, but Pike jumps back.

“Whoa!” Pike says. “Oh no, Keyleth!” Pike already giggles as she turns to run. She hops off the table and Keyleth chases behind her.

“Oh no you don’t, Keyleth!” Grog immediately puts Scanlan down and rushes to Pike's aid. Before the chase has even begun, Grog snatches Keyleth off the ground in a hug as she passes by the corner of the table. He places Keyleth’s feet back to the floor and scribbles into her sides, earling a squeak from the Ashari.

“Eehehehek! Grohohohog!” Keyleth giggles and squeezes her arms down. “Thihihihis height difference mahahahakes it sohohoho unfair!” she says as she realizes the ticklish predicament Scanlan must have been in.

“Sorry, Keyleth! But if you mess with my best buddy, you mess with me!” Grog grins as he carefully wiggles his fingers to Keyleth’s ribs, keeping her in place as she sways like a leaf in the breeze.

Pike twists on her heels once she hears Keyleth’s laughter. She smiles at her buddy Grog as a thank you. Past Grog’s form, however, Pike sees the wooden table they were just at. The once giggling form of Scanlan is now missing. 

“Huh?” Pike wonders. “Where did he–”

“Sneak attack!” Scanlan loudly announces his presence behind her as he digs his fingers into Pike’s sides.

“AHA!” Pike yelps from being taken off guard. “Hahaha! Scanlahahahan!” Pike darts her hands down in an attempt to pry the bard’s hands latched onto her sides.

“You thought you could just tickle me and get away with it? Oh no, no, no, Pike. You see, now it’s my turn to even the playing field,” Scanlan grins. “Who would have guessed that under all that armor that the mighty Pike is so ticklish?”

“Ohoho, yohohohou’re going to rehehehegret saying thahahahat!” Pike giggles.

“I regret saying a lot of things, but this is not one of them,” Scanlan replies.

Seeing six out of the seven party members get thrown into a tickle fight, Percy places his sketchbook on the side table next to his chair, then stands. “Well, if you all are going to continue fooling around with each other, then I think I should take my leave.”

Percy turns towards the doorway to exit. However, as the big brown bear sees Percy walking in that direction, Trinket trots in front of the doorway and blocks the exit. The bear growls at the white-haired man.

Percy takes a step back. “Wha– Trinket?”

“Good thinking, Trinket!” Vex says, seeing the exchange between her bear and the noble occur. “You’re not going anywhere without first joining the fight, Percy.” Vex glances to her bear, “Trinket, be a dear and get Percy, will you?”

Trinket happily growls at Percy. The noble takes another step back.

“Wait, Trinket!” Percy puts his hands up.

The bear growls again and charges at Percival. Trinket headbutts Percy square in the stomach, with enough force to push him, but not to hurt him. Percy hits the back wall as Trinket charges at him and, being the large bear that he is, Trinket easily traps Percy to the wall by having his head right up against his stomach. With another happy huff from the bear, Trinket begins nuzzling his snout into Percy’s stomach, finding a way under his dress shirt and vest for his snout to be most effective.

Percy flinches and his mouth twitches upwards; he tries to restrain his snickers while he attempts to shove Trinket’s big, playful head out of his shirt. “Trinket! Stand down, boy! I am not a toy for you to cuddle!”

“Good boy, Trinket!” Vex exclaims. She leaves her brother in a crumpled pile of giggles and runs over to help her bear. 

“Let me lend you a hand, Trinket,” she says, now standing beside her furry companion. “Or perhaps, two hands?” she wiggles all of her fingers at Percy.

“V-Vex! Don’t you da–AHare!” Percy closes his mouth shut once Vex lunges her hands at his ribs. A few restrained snickers start to trickle from the man as he turns his face away into his shoulder.

“Percival, you’re holding out on me,” Vex teases. “You do know that it’s a tickle fight, right? So, laugh a little,” she moves her hands up his ribs and into his underarms. Rather quickly, his snickers sputter and turn into full blown giggles.

“Vehehehex!” Percy completely breaks into an outpouring of bubby joy. He bends his arms down for protection, but that doesn’t stop the loveable bear from nuzzling into his belly. He tries to wiggle his way out of his predicament.

“There we go! We got him, Trinket!” Vex glances at the bear before looking back at Percy. “See, Percy? You would have missed out on all this fun had you walked out.”

“I will nohohohot be subjugated to-hohoho thihihihis childish gahahame!” He wiggles to the side and successfully dislodges himself from Trinket and the wall, then wastes no time in sprinting across the room.

“This isn’t over yet, Percy!” Vex exclaims. Right before she takes off for the chase, a woosh of black cloth passes by her.

“I’ll deal with you later!” Vax glances over his shoulder to his sister as he runs by.

“Yeah, right. We’ll see about that,” Vex smiles before following suit and running back into the frey.

Percy, knowing he’s a target, skids behind Grog and Keyleth and takes cover.

“Grog! Let me use your body as a shield!” Percy peeks out from the side of the goliath.

Grog’s view turns towards Percy. “Uh, okay.”

“I’ve gotcha, Keyleth!” Vax says from Grog’s other side and leaps onto the table, then he jumps off towards Grog. He lands on Grog and wraps his arms around the goliath’s neck, piggy-back style.

“Hey!” Grog tries to snatch Vax from over his back, releasing Keyleth from his hold. “Get over here, pipsqueak!” Grog spins from side to side to toss Vax off of him, but Vax keeps his grip. Grog sidesteps one way and nearly crashes into Percy, sending the noble stumbling backwards and onto the floor; when Grog sidesteps to his other side, Vex also stumbles backwards and onto the floor when she tries to dodge.  

Grog halts his movement to try and get a better grip on Vax, but the dagger wielder shows him a smirk and uses one hand to scribble at the goliath’s ribs while Vax’s other arm holds himself up by staying wrapped around Grog’s neck.

Grog jolts and a bigger smile grows on his already large features. “Hehehey! Vahahahax!” he tries to reach up at the half-elf again. “Nohoho fair!”

“No fair? We’re playing a tickle fight with a guy twice our size. Creative strategies have to be used, my friend,” Vax smiles at him. 

“And don’t forget about a little bit of magic!” Keyleth recovers and faces her palm towards Grog. Her hand glows and vines sprout from the floor, wrapping themselves loosely around Grog and brushing up against the rest of his torso.

Grog stops going for Vax and pulls his arm down as deep laughter booms from his chest. “Ohohohokay! Mahahahaybe I earned thihihihis!” Grog says through his giggles.

Vex stands up and leans an arm on Trinket. She sees Percy still on the floor, but she’s quite amused with the sight of their tallest ally being overpowered by tickling. She’ll call off her chase, for now.

“Ohohoho no! Grohohog!” Pike says through her own laughter as she hears Grog being felled by giggles from across from her.

“Oooh. What a shame,” Scanlan says over Pike’s shoulder. “It seems like you and Grog have fallen to the same tragic fate of revenge—WHOA!”

Pike uses a burst of strength to yank one of Scanlan’s arms and fling him to the floor in front of them onto his back. As he lifts his head up to regain his bearings, Pike pounces at him like a wolf and knocks him back to the floor. She dives her hands towards his sides, earning a shriek of laughter from Scanlan.

“Pihihihihike! Yohohou already had yohohour turn tickling mehehehe! Hahahave mercy!”

“I’ll consider it, if you help me help Grog,” Pike negotiates with a smile.

“Nohoho way! Hehehe started it!”

Pike shrugs, “Suit yourself then.” She crawls her fingers back up to his underarms, causing Scanlan to kick his legs out behind her and his giggles to increase.

Pike glances beside her to Percy, who’s still leaning back on the floor as he watches Grog’s current fate. “Percy! Come help me with Scanlan!” she says to him.

The noble shakes his head. “No, thank you. I’ve had my fair share of this fight for one day.”

“Come on, Percy. You’re got to have some fun once in a while.” She puts on a smirk. “Or are you too much of a stick-in-the-mud noble to do so?”

Percy’s stunned. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Pike’s tone is one that’s begging to be challenged. Percy narrows her eyes at her, but Pike has already turned her attention back to the giggling bard.

“Now Scanlan, are you willing to help me assist Grog?”

“Yehehes! Yes!” Scanlan raises one arm above his head and purple magic begins to swirl around his hand. Pike pulls her hands away from him, allowing Scanlan—breathless and full of residual giggles—to summon his magical purple hand and glide it towards Grog. Scanlan rolls onto his stomach to see the world upright and controls the magic of “Scanlan’s hand” to tap Keyleth on the shoulder.

Falling for one of the oldest tricks in the book, Keyleth turns to look at the hand. “Huh? Hey!” She exclaims when the hand drifts down to tickle her side. When she twists to avoid it, the hand follows her and tickles the rest of her torso. Scanlan and Pike snicker from the sidelines.

As Keyleth giggles, her concentration on the magic vines falter and the vines retract back into the floor.

Now free, Grog swings his hand behind his back and grabs a hold of Vax’s ankle. He yanks the half-elf from his back and holds him upside down in front of him. A mischievous grin across the goliath’s features is what Vax is met with as he dangles from the ankle. 

Vax releases a nervous chuckle. “Any chance that you’ll put me down, big guy?”

Grog shakes his head like a child who’s gotten their way. “Nope. None,” Grog says and plunges a hand into Vax’s belly. The half-elf barks out a surprised laugh and clasps both of his hands to Grog’s singular large one in any attempt to pry it from his giggling belly.

“Well it wahahas wohohorth a shohohohot!” Vax says.

“All right, Grog!” Pike cheers. Scanlan dissipates his magic hand, releasing Keyleth, then plops onto the floor to take a well deserved break. 

“I’m coming to help!” Pike gets up to dash over to Grog.

“Hold on a minute, Pike!” Percy swoops in behind her and scoops her up into his arms, causing Pike to shriek as he lifts her in a hug off her feet. He has his arms wrapped under hers like he was holding a cat.

“Allow me to show you that a noble can indeed have fun,” Percy smirks. He tightens one arm around her while his other hand starts to scribble into her side. Pike jolts with another burst of giggles and attempts pushing on Percy’s arm to squeeze herself free.

“Pehehehercy, wahahait! I was just kihihihidding!” she kicks her feet in the air.

“Of course. I know that, Pike. But I have to protect the reputation of my good name. You understand,” he smiles. Pike’s squirming becomes strong enough to where Percy nearly drops her, but he catches himself and places Pike safely to the ground, though still with one arm wrapped around her and one tickling her to keep her in place. Percy chuckles as he kneels down, takes a seat on the floor, then pulls Pike into his lap to now have the ability to tickle her with both of his hands, sending her giggles even louder. 

Keyleth eventually recovers, arms still wrapped around herself. She processes her surroundings, noticing Vax’s situation.

“Oh no, Vax. Not again,” Keyleth straightens herself out and prepares her hand to summon more vines.

“I’m going to stop you right there, Keyleth!” Vex rams into the Ashari with a giant hug.

“W-What?! Vex, what are you–dohohohoing?!” Keyleth squeaks at the end of her sentence when Vex takes her turn at tickling the Ashari. 

“Well, you were about to help my brother out of his predicament, and I’m quite entertained by his situation. You wouldn’t want to cut that entertainment short, now would you?”

“Buhuhuhut Vax is in trohohohouble!” she giggles in response.

“Nooo, he’s fine. Look at him. He’s smiling, laughing. He doesn’t need our help,” Vex grins. Trinket happily huffs to himself. Seeing that his allies are enjoying themselves, Trinket trots away over to a spot behind a still resting Scanlan to lie down and watch the rest unfold, until his assistance is requested again.

Just then, a giggly scream from Pike catches Grog’s ears. The goliath turns his head to see that Percy is scribbling a hand at Pike’s belly while the gnome kicks and curls her arms around herself.

“Pike! Buddy!” Grog shouts. He drops Vax to the floor like a bag of gold and dashes over to Pike. Percy looks up just in time to see the massive goliath barreling towards him. His eyes go wide and immediately lets go of Pike. He crawls backwards on his arms and lifts himself to his feet as Grog approaches.

“Grog, wait! We can talk about this!” Percy turns to run, but Grog instantly snatches him off the floor and into his arms, holding him very similarly as Percy did to Pike. Grog spins to face his buddy, then wastes no time in digging a set of his fingers into Percy’s side. Percy lets out a startled chortle before his giggles find their way out again. 

“Pick on someone, your own size!” Grog grins behind him.

“Thahahat’s rich cohohoming from yohohohou!” Percy responds. He wiggles and slips his nimble self from Grog’s arms, ducking under them before running. 

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Grog says before he and Pike take off after him.

Vex witnesses Percy is involved in another chase. She chuckles. “See, Percy! Told you it wasn’t over!”

As she finishes her sentence, Vax suddenly lunges at her and tackles her to the floor. 

“And I told you that I would come back for you later,” Vax smirks above her as he darts his hands towards his sister’s sides. A minor shriek releases from Vex before she slaps a hand to cover her mouth, though Vax can see her smile twitching from under her fingers. Her other hand attempts to shove at Vax while the heels of her boots dig at the floor.

“Ah, ah, ah, sister. We will be having none of that. You saw me giggling my head off, it’s only fair that I see yours,” Vax crawls a hand up to her underarm connected to the hand blocking her smile. Vex yanks her hand down with a shriek that results in the joyful sound of laughter.

“Vahahahahax you a–ahahahaha!” The rest of Vex’s sentence is erased by her giggles. 

“Language, sister,” he playfully scolds her, knowing exactly what she was about to say. He turns to the Ashari. “Keyleth, want to provide some assistance?”

Keyleth nods with a smile, “Okay!” The Ashari makes her way over. She sits on her knees on the floor next to Vex’s other side and joins in, scribbling at Vex’s stomach. The giggles of the female twin grow higher in pitch as she attempts to protect and slap away the two pairs of hands scribbling across her torso.

“Twohoho against ohohone? Well I cahahahan play thahahat gahahame too!” Vex exclaims. “Trinket! Hehehelp me!” she shouts across the room.

The bear growls and lifts himself to his feet. Trinket begins charging forward. Scanlan hears the loud pounding of paws behind him and turns his head to see Trinket running in his direction. Scanlan leaps to his feet and runs straight, keeping his eyes on the bear. Meanwhile, Percy turns the corner on the other side of the room and runs right towards Vex, Vax, and Keyleth, though his eyes are also on his pursuers.

Almost at the same time, Scanlan and Percy look forward, seeing not only are they going to crash into each other, but into Vex, Vax, and Keyleth as well. They try to slow their movement, but Pike and Grog crash into Percy, while Trinket crashes into Scanlan, sending everyone crashing into the twins and Keyleth—which creates a party-sized dogpile with all the Vox Machina members.

As the “dust” settles, Trinket, who was on the edge of the pile, lifts himself up and finds Scanlan lying on the edge next to Grog. The bear nuzzles Scanlan’s neck as an apology, which slowly pulls Scanlan out of his dazed state. 

“Trinket,” Scanlan giggles as the bear gets in one final tickle at his neck. He shoves at the bear’s snout. “Come on, cut it out.” 

The bear growls with glee. As Trinket steps back, everyone else begins to slowly emerge from the pile. Eventually, they untangle themselves and stand to stretch their previously squished bodies.

“Well, that was a fight that I bet none of us were expecting,” Vax says as he stretches out his back.

“To think we were taking a day off and ended up fighting each other instead,” Vex mentions. “But that does seem like something we would do, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know about you all,” Keyleth chimes in, “but I thought it was fun. I know I said something earlier with Scanlan’s joke and no one agreed, but I can’t be the only one who thought this was fun, right? I mean, it was enjoyable enough for Percy to join in.” She gestures a hand towards the white-haried man.

Percy crosses his arms. “My hand was forced into the fight, thank you. Under no other circumstances would I have joined.”

Pike shrugs. “Eh, all it takes is a few teases and poking fun at his royal title to get him to hop in,” she teases and smiles at Percy. Percy rolls his eyes, though he returns a warm smile to her as well.

“It was unexpected, but at least it brightened the mood,” Scanlan says. He turns to look up at the goliath. “You did good, Grog,” Scanlan compliments.

“Hehe, thank you,” Grog takes the compliment. He blinks a few times and puts a finger to his chin. “Um…what exactly did I do good again?”

Vax pats him on the arm. “You were just being yourself, big guy.” 

“And we love ya for it,” Pike hugs his ankle. 

“Aww, come here, you!” Grog picks her up in a gentle, but firm hug, then places her on his shoulder with a grin.

Some would say that they’re one odd bunch of adventures, but to them, they’re just one big happy family.

[lessthanimpressedlesbian]

I know nothing about the cast of critical role, but I think it'd be funny if Laura told Matt that Vex clocked Imogen's feelings for Laudna. I want the members of Vox Machina (that we've seen) to have a betting pool on whether or not they're dating, especially if nothing overtly coupley happens while they're in Whitestone.

[hopefulfuturenovelauthor]

Headcanons of what's like to date Pike, Grog, Scanlan, Vex, Keyleth, Percy, and Vax?

Vox Machina Relationship Headcannons...

I did not check for grammar mistakes, sorry. Also, please do not copy my work in any way, thank you. Enjoy!

A/n: I’ve typed couple so much now it seems really funny and sounds weird now 😂.

Vax:

Are they a couple? couple

-alright, so I kid you not, people have no clue you are a thing until you blatantly tell them. 

-Most people don’t even realize you are that close.

-Vex only knows about you two because Vax is her brother. Out of Vox Machina Grog is the only other one that knows you are a couple and Percy just thinks you both have feelings for each other. Scanlan can’t even tell and he knows everything when it comes to the mercenaries' romantic lives.

-You aren’t secretive in your relationship, you are both just far more reserved. Neither of you is huge into PDA and you are both very sneaky.

-it is not hard for the two of you to escape from your friends to be alone together or to flirt in front of others without them recognizing it.

-you both are always next to each other too. No matter if you were fighting, eating, or in a cart you were always at each other’s side.

-Vax absolutely adores you and you feel the same. You are both entirely supportive of one another. 

-when you are drunk you both show more affection towards each other. Then again you both show more affection towards everyone. When one of you have had something to drink, that one tends to always be touching the other, whether it’s hand holding, foot nudging, or just leaning on the other.

-your relationship with Vax is revealed to the group when Scanlan and Pike find you both making out in a closet in a pub.

-Pike’s reaction was far less inappropriate than Scanlans which was somewhere along the lines of “I don’t know when this started, but I would love to join.”

-after that Pike just goes pink, scolding Scanlan. You all return to the group.

-when Scanlan reveals what he saw the other two are in shock, while Grog just says, “You didn’t know?”

-“wait, you knew?” Pike questioned.

-“yeah, wasn’t it obvious. They flirt like all the time. Did none of you notice?”

Vex:

Chill couple

-super, super chill. You guys are like the cool couple that everyone thinks is awesome. 

-you are both great with nature and your perspective weapons. Vex sticks with her bow, while your weapon of choice is the chain-sickle. However, you tend to stick with knives more often than not because of the clumsy ness of your own group.

-(we’ll skip over the time your weapon wrapped around Scanlan pinning his arms to his side. His comments on that experience were not something Vex liked. Scanlan was scared shitless of your girlfriend for days)

-you both like to spend time talking and bonding while sharpening knives and creating arrowheads.

-Neither if you care for extreme pda. Most of the time you elbow and nudge each other or rest your arm on the other’s shoulders.

-you both enjoy making the other flustered in certain situations. You both never take it too far though. To get her flustered all you have to do is kiss her cheek lightly and lingering, somewhat ghostly and fairly intimately. To get you flustered she grabs your chin with her hand and carefully places her lips on yours for a few seconds.

-The entire group is very supportive of your relationship. Percy and Vax are very supportive. Sometimes Vax and Scanlan make fun of the two of you a little bit because of how close you are.

-you both also like never fight. Really, you don’t get in arguments that much and are typically always on the same page.

-as chill as you both are, Scanlan will make comments that set Vex off. You tend to hold her back and calm her down. Most of the time you just hold her hand and rub circles in her knuckles with your thumb.

-sometimes when you're feeling anxious or bored she’ll let you braid her hair.

-you guys like definitely cuddle up together before bed or when you are just chilling. Sometimes you sit between her legs. Other times you sit behind her off of the ground messing with her hair. Once more, you definitely do the arm over the shoulders. It’s great for whispering to the other.

-also and lastly, you guys have like an infinite amount of inside jokes.

Pike:

Best friends couple

-best friend goals right here. Like you are so romantically and platonically meant for each other. 

-people honestly can’t tell if your in a relationship or just friends until someone says it outright or you kiss or something.

-Pike is so sweet and you are too. Pike you and Grog are like the most kind group and Grog loves to get in on hug reunions when you guys haven’t seen each other in a while.

-Pike and you are both very supportive people and it’s really great for the both of you cause at times you both definitely need it.

-no doubt, having you by her side definitely helps with her faith.

-you do not keep anything from one another. Like at all. Whatever one of you knows the other knows too. There is no doubt that she knows everything about you.

-once more you are besties in love.  Totally started as friends but wanted more but didn’t want to ruin your friendship. When you both told each other this you definitely laughed it all off. Life partners and partner goals definitely met.

-I cannot explain it, but while Grog is like your guys biggest supporter the close second is definitely Scanlan.

- He is like super close to you. Definitely very good friends and always pushes you and Pike together, even before you were a couple.

-you and Pike like to hold hands and lean your heads against each other.

-pda isn’t huge on your guys front other than that.

-you both definitely get super like crazy when drunk. Combo moves with her magic and singing songs while swaying together.

-definitely the kind of couple that makes and wears flower crowns for the other person.

-totally cute, totally loved by everyone.

Scanlan:

Power-couple

-So, surprisingly Scanlan is like super soft for you unlike what others would think.

-total gentleman except for when his mind is in other places.

-power couple, not because everyone loves you and wants to be you, but like you together is like more powerful than either of you could ever be alone.

-definitely smarter together. You are like one functional person which separated you two aren’t really.

-you both create elaborate schemes to steal and exploit people.

-half of the things he’s gifted you, you guys got while lying, manipulating and stealing. You are both very good at being charming and persuasive.

-you guys flirt a lot. Like all the time, it’s half of the shit that comes out of your mouth and practically all that comes out of his.

-you are always together. He is glued to your side.

-if you are away from each other you only have him on your mind and he is annoying the crap out of whoever he is with because he won’t stop talking about you.

- he thinks you are the most amazing person in the world.

-most definitely writes songs about you. As confident as he is, he does sometimes get insecure about his music, mainly how real his words are in his songs,and his abilities with you.

-Scanlan is not really a fighter. He doesn’t think he can protect you as well as the rest of the group could.

- it doesn’t take him long to realize that that isn’t that much of an issue. One too many drinks led to another and some asshole made a comment about Scanlan. Let’s just say that bar fight you had left him both incredibly impressed and very turned on.

-PDA, hell yeah, it’s Scanlan. You sometimes have to tell him to stop. Sometimes you will make him flustered in the worst situations. Never when you're in danger, just if you're in front of important people. 

-Scanlan definitely likes to be held. Total small spoon in my book. After all he needs some comfort and you love being that for him.

Percy:

Inseparable couple (but in a sweet way)

-childhood friends. Went through hell together at Whitestone and both somehow got out. 

- definitely spent childhood together with parents knowing you would end up together. They were planning your wedding before you were even ten.

-you both met up after your family had already escaped the town. Percy was devastated and spent days crying, you just held him and brought him food and water and tried to get him to sleep.

-you were devastated about his sister and his family when he told you what happened.

-you guys definitely just somehow ended up romantically involved naturally. After Whitestone you both became inseparable and super affectionate and protective of one another.

-let’s make this known, when he’s going to bed you go to bed with him, when he’s awake you're awake, when he’s stressed you are right beside him and vice Versa.

-you are always there for him, especially when it involves his family.

-you like to watch him make his guns. When he gets too worked up or won’t stop tinkering you take off his glasses. Most of the time afterwards you lead him to your bed. On the rare occasion you grabbed them to joke around he will tickle you for them back like you guys did when you were younger.

-he will make weapons for you and will teach you how too as well if you ask.

-if you ask he will show you hands on, standing behind you, arms in yours, guiding you through everything.

-you will name your weapons together.

-you love to play with his hair, and he loves to hug you. You both take comfort in one another.

-you both like to cuddle when you read, even if the other person isn’t reading, which is great for hugging and hair touching.

-he surprisingly is more PDA prone than others expect. Once more you are inseparable. Will kiss your temple and forehead very often, he loves it and you love it. You like to snuggle your head into his neck. He will spontaneously grab your hand and spin you into him bringing your bodies into direct contact and faces only inches apart. He is super smiley when he does this.

-you always make him smile. It melts your heart every time.

-there are some hard times where either of you has nightmares, which leads to lots of holding and consoling.

-Percy can have anger issues at times especially when it comes to revenge.

-this is the only thing you guys fight about. While you both want all of them dead you are worried of the effects this will have on Percy and how far he is willing to go and how much he is willing to give. You definitely fear that his judgement is compromised at times like these and think that he himself or others might get hurt along the way.

-he tries to stop when he finds you crying in the corner of your room worried sick about him.

-his anger gets the better of him, but when he is reminded of you he cools down like 50%. If he sees you in one of these stages he will be much more careful too.

-after one of these episodes he definitely does not let go of you. He will hold your hand no matter what. He may even hold your one hand with both of his if you guys are walking or something.

Keyleth:

Opposites attract couple

-You met in a tavern

-In fact, it was your good friend Vax that introduced you to the group of mercenaries.

-You had already known Vex since she was Vax’s sister, but the rest of the crew were strangers.

-You quickly took a liking to them. Passing your free time drinking and betting in card games was one of your favorite ways to relax. 

-That first night you out drank them all and remained the only one not drunk. It was the fiery red-head that fell to the effects of the alcohol first. She was also the one you took care of the most that night.

-You helped her to bed, tucked her in, and even found yourself tucking a piece of her hair behind her cute pointy ear. You weren’t drunk, just definitely buzzed.

-She quickly realized she liked you, which is why the two of you became a couple so fast. That and Vax trusted you so she knew you were a good person.

-You were a bit slower when it came to coming to terms with your feelings. You always helped her out, complimented her, and protected her. 

-When she told you about her feelings you just kissed her. It was a small rushed peck, but it explained all she needed to know. You quickly and awkwardly excused yourself.

-Over time you become more comfortable in a relationship. You like to be affectionate with her when you're alone but you find it difficult in public. Around your friends you guys will hold hands, lean into one another, and have your guys arms wrapped around either shoulders or waists.

-She likes to give you little charms and pretty rocks and gems she finds.

-You like to gift her with stolen objects you took from merchants that were rude. So far the most expensive thing you’ve stolen and gifted her was a silver necklace with a very pretty moonstone charm. It’s her favorite and she never takes it off.

- She likes to fidget with your hands when she gets anxious, especially about her family. She finds it interesting how you can so easily steal, so she likes to observe the little things. For example, she enjoys tracing the scars on your hands you have gained from your time thieving and fighting. 

-You really like her hair, so she can sometimes catch you just staring at her. Sometimes when you guys are in public you even just mess with it in your fingers because you love how silky and bright it is.

-The entire crew is really happy for you guys, they like how much confidence you give Keyleth, and they like how soft you get around her.

-Vax and Vex can tell that you both make eachother better and stronger people and that you both are growing more into yourselves.

Grog:

Party couple/ adorably affectionate couple but not in an uncomfortable way

-You were quick friends that shared the same easy going attitude. You liked ale and parties and brawls. Grog liked those too.

-You both simply bask in each other’s happiness. You both feel warm and comfortable in the other's presence. 

-Ale, yes please, you will both compete to see who can drink more, your drunken selves becoming instantly more charismatic making you both the life of the party.

-Only nice things to say about each other. You both never fight. Unless you are play fighting, for example food fights, sneak tackles, and other various activities.

-Piggy back rides, most definitely. Especially during drinking games and other competitions. You on Grog’s back and Scanlan on Vax’s, the four of you barreling down the street in a race to see who would be the last one standing.

-Grog would definitely like it if you made him jewelry, like necklaces or bracelets from treasure you had found or pretty stones in the forest. 

-Grog would do the same for you as well, making very nice bracelets that now cover your wrists.

-You constantly fall asleep on him when you are adventuring. You sometimes snore, but he finds it cute.

-He likes to pick you up and give you massive hugs.

-You are both huge fans of hand holding.

-If someone attacks one of you, the other will beat the shit out of that person or creature.

-Pike loves you two together and is one of your biggest supporters. It makes you and Grog both very happy that she likes you together as a couple so much.

- You both constantly get into shenanigans together and crack the best jokes. There is a ton of laughter involved in your relationship.

[technoturian]

To be honest I’m not really sure where everyone upset about the campaign two romances is getting their wildly unrealistic expectations.

I love this show, I love the cast, I love the characters, I love the relationships, I love the stories. But, and I say this with the deepest respect and love, there are certain things this show does not do, CANNOT do, to the standard of written and scripted fiction, and one of those things is spontaneously improv-ing a perfectly weaved romance arc.

And, because I’ve seen some of these CR2 critics bring up the mythic “other ships” to the standard of which the offending CR2 ship must be held to, I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane and remind everyone about the flaws in each of the original “canon” CR romance arcs. Just a forewarning, I’m going to be very critical of each of these ships, even though I actually ship some of these ships, simply because it feels disingenuous to act like campaign two is somehow both more forced and scripted and more out of left field and random than any of the campaign one ships. Just a second forewarning, this is long. Let’s take off those rose-colored glasses.

Vaxleth came “out of nowhere” to nearly every viewer and every player that wasn’t Liam. Vaxleth then stalled for several months worth of episodes, had quite a few “*wink wink elbow elbow* Why don’t you two kids just get together already” moments from the other PCs before they finally got together. Vaxleth was hated by some for being “forced” and “awkward”.

Pikelan came from Scanlan harassing Pike, who had been secretly in love with Percy in an aborted romance arc that was never revealed. Scanlan proposed to her, backed off and said he wanted to base a relationship on solid friendship instead and wouldn’t harass her anymore, barely talked to her from that point on to when he walked out, then came back a “changed man” and they were engaged in the prologue. Pike and Scanlan were hated by some for being the trope where the “persistent guy is rewarded with a girl”.

Vaxmore, from what I recall of pre-campaign rumor and asides, came out of Vax flirting with Gilmore for a discount. He spends a lot of time telling Gilmore he loves him but can’t be with him, to the point of basically breaking up with him three times? For some reason??

Kashleth came out of Kash kissing Keyleth without her consent in what seems largely to have been a joke on Will’s part. They spent the next hundred episodes being awkward and uncomfortable over it, long after they had both moved on.

Kashra came out of Will and Mary deciding that Zahra and Kash developed a romance in the time they spent together off-screen, slowly building a deep and meaningful relationship, the development of which we the viewers never saw. Kashra was hated by some because they felt it was “out of left field” and some were weirded out as Kashaw had previously said Zahra was his “sister” and his “family”.

Perc’ahlia, my OTP of OTPs, the live play D&D romance standard by which all others are measured in my eyes... Vex has spent her whole life beside a brother she loves, if not more than anything, at least as much as she loves anyone else, and the first time they’re separated she scolds him not to secretly marry Keyleth while they’re apart or something... ... And then Laura and Taliesin thought it would be funny if Percy and Vex eloped and didn’t tell anyone for absolutely no in-game reason. ??? ??? Some people hated Perc’ahlia because they thought it was “overrated”.

Kimallura... Nope, sorry, Kimallura is perfect. They were always in sync and entirely on the same page, it’s almost like they shared one mind...

And of course, fans wanted it both ways. They bemoaned Keyleth and Vax having multiple, long conversations about their feelings as they dipped their toes into the relationship, calling them boring. They bemoaned Perc’ahlia for *not* having multiple, long conversations about their feelings and instead skipping most of that all-together and diving in head-first, calling them rushed.

Every one of these ships had pacing issues. Sometimes we’d have nothing happen for a month or longer and then we’d get a scene, and it was always a guess whether we’d get a trickle or a torrent. Why? Because they’re sharing a table with 5+ other people. Because if there was a sidebar for every ship in every episode then nothing would ever get done. Because maybe they want to drag it out in the name of “gradual development” and sometimes they hit or miss on that goal, especially when they’re waiting for something big to happen so they can have an opportune, thematically strong moment to move forward. Sometimes people are in New York. Sometimes they can’t get every scene they want to into an episode and they go where the scene takes them. Sometimes they’re actually prioritizing their characters’ platonic relationships over their romantic relationships!

Several of these ships had a moment where a declaration came out of nowhere, or at the least was confirmation of what until that moment was entirely unspoken, due to format and the lack of internal monologue.

Several of these ships had a “forced” moment where something happened not because it had been expertly developed and foreshadowed but because one or both players spontaneously decided “this is a thing now”.

As said, there are things you do when you’re cultivating a perfect romance arc that cannot (and one could argue, should not?) be done in improv between two people feeling out the relationship in the spur of the moment.

I love this show. I love the ships I ship for what they are. They have had some beautiful, breathtaking moments. They are beautiful stories, but they are messy, imperfectly told stories.

Am I saying “Boo, no critical analysis ever because Critical Role isn’t meant to be perfect so therefore you can’t criticize it”? Nah. First, do what you want because who am I, and second, I actually am one of those annoying people who wrote shipping analysis during campaign one.

What I don’t get is complaints about campaign two’s ships (of which I remind you there is only one canon ship; Yeza and Veth) not reaching the lofty goal set forth by ~“the other ships”~, as if there’s some standard they’re falling below. My point is simply this: Given the precedent, what on earth makes you think that?

[multifandom-damnation]

Vox Machina: lost, exhausted, irritable and alone in a desert, trying to find a town that they didn’t have directions to and trying to stay sane on the way. They’re out of spells, out of luck, out of faith and desperation is kicking in hard.

Someone wants to ask a dragon for directions. The others think that’s a terrible idea.

Maybe a dragon will end up getting them there after all?

A dragon flew overhead, loud beating wings and deep blue scales, blocking out the sun for a moment as Vox Machina dived for cover and huddled together, waiting for it to pass out of sight. When Vex could no longer sense it, they stood and climbed themselves out of the ditch they had hidden in.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Scanlan glared at the sky. “Maybe we should have asked him for directions.”

Vax scoffed, gently whacking the gnome on the back of the head. “Scanlan, we are not asking the dragon for directions.”

“Why not?” Scanlan asked indignantly, rubbing his head as if it hurt. It didn’t really but the snort from Pike over on Grogs shoulder threatened to pull a grin from his scowling lips. “We don’t know where we’re going! It’s probably not even the right direction. Maybe he could even give us a lift. It’ll be better than walking all the way.”  He turned to stare at Keyleth. “Can’t you do the tree thing? Or the mist one?”

“No Scanlan,” she sighed, brushing the hair behind her ear as it fell in her eyes. “I’ve already told you this. More than once. I didn’t bring it today. And anyway, I used Hero’s Feast this morning, Move Earth, Heal during that fight, 3 Scrying spells to get us here in the first place and Control Weather to get us past that storm. I’m practically useless, I’ve got nothing.”

Scanlan groaned. “This is ridiculous.”

“We can always just sleep in the mansion or and go tomorrow when Keyleth has her spells back.” Vex pointed out.

“I told you,” Scanlan grumbled as he used his whole body to climb over a rather large something buried in the sand. “I got nothing. I had to use most of my spells to save your asses.”

Keyleth lifted her hand to interject, but Vax put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, a smile on his lips and a roll of his eyes.

“You can always come and sit on me.” Grog suggested jovially, leaving large, deep footsteps in the sand as he bounded around the group, a squealing Pike clinging to his ears for dear life. “Up with Pike. I don’t mind.”

“That’s not the point,” Scanlan mumbled as he accepted Grogs hand and allowed him to be lifted onto the goliath’s other shoulder. Pike leaned behind Grogs head and punched Scanlan in the shoulder- hard. She mouthed an apology as Scanlan rubbed his arm to get the feeling back. “The point is,” Scanlan continued, leaning one arm on Grog’s head. “We don’t know where we’re going, how to get there, and how long it will take. We have nowhere to sleep, no way to get there quickly or who we have to talk to when we get there.”

“Well,” Keyleth said, crafting flowers to put in Vex’s hair. “On the plus side, when we do sleep, I can get us there in no time.”

“But where will we sleep?” Grog asked, stopping to look around. His eyes were narrowed, squinting into the horizon for any tavern or inn or bar they could spend the night.

“I suppose in some trees,” Vax said, running behind Vex and yanking her braid before darting off again to hide behind Keyleth. “Like we did in Whitestone.”

Sitting straight, Scanlan looked around from his perch on Grog’s shoulder, squinting as he looked as far as his eyes could see, only to be met with sand, sand and more sand. “What trees?” he snapped, exhaustion and too much heat making him irritable. “There are no trees.”

The sandy landscape they were surrounded by indeed bore no trees, no taverns or inns or bars and most certainly no people to ask for directions. The sun glittered painfully off the sand, burning sparking spots into their retinas as they glanced at it.

“What do you think we should do then Scanlan?” Pike asked tilting her head at him.

He blinked. “Why would I have any idea?”

A slow, wicked grin crawled across Pike’s face, her eyes lighting up in suppressed laughter and her cheeks turning red with joy. “Well,” she said slowly, drawing it out, meeting his eyes and making heat pool in the centre of his chest. “You are the leader.”

Scanlan felt his jaw drop as Vax collapsed on the sand in a fit of laughter, holding his chest and kicking his legs as he writhed. Vex and Keyleth leaned on each other and hid their giggles behind their fists. Grog reached up and high-fived Pike as she stuck her tongue out at the other gnome, lightly slapping him on the shoulder as he spluttered. “Th- that doesn’t mean anything!” He stuttered, glaring at his friends laughing. “If it’s so funny, why don’t you have any ideas!” He paused, catching Percy out of the corner of his eye standing still in the sand, eyes plastered firmly west. “Percy, is everything ok?” He asked, drawing the groups attention to their solitary friend.

Instead of answering, Percy got down on his stomach, pulled Bad News off of his shoulder and looked through the sight. “You know,” he called, changing the range and strength on the scope until he could see. “We’re a rather perceptive bunch, but this town is rather hard to find.”

“We know that Percy,” Vax told him, accepting Vex’s hand to pull himself up off the ground. “We wouldn’t still be out here if it wasn’t hard to find. Now get up off the sand, you’re getting your lovely coat all dirty.”

“What if we’re not looking at the right place?” Percy asked, ignoring Vax as though he hadn’t spoken. “Or, what if we are looking in the right place, but we just can’t see it?”

“Percy,” Vex sighed, walking over to him and lacing her fingers through his hair. It was glittering almost as brightly as the sand under the sun. “You’re speaking in tongues. Just say what you mean and then we’ll keep going.”

Suddenly, a loud familiar blast exploded across the sand, the bullet from Percy’s gun firing with a burst of smoke and kicked up sand, disappearing forever into the unknown. With a manic chuckle, Percy stood and walked the line the bullet fired, calling over his shoulder for the others to follow.

With a confused sigh, the others did, stumbling over themselves at their haste to follow their friend.

“Percy, what are you doing?” Keyleth asked as politely as she could manage as she reached his side. “Where are we going?”

“Didn’t you see?” He replied, his grin twisted and large. “It disappeared. It’s like that spell you have Kiki, the Hallucinatory Terrain.”

“What are you talking about?” Scanlan interjected, short-tempered as he played his shawm. “Percy, the heats going to your brain. You’re going crazy.”

“More than usual!” Grog put in with a laugh and Scanlan grinned at him.

On the edge of where he last saw the bullet fade, Percy stopped, staring hard at the open air. Behind him, his friends were silent, casting confused glanced at each other but too afraid to voice their questions. Just as the silence dragged too long with them standing there, Keyleth opened his mouth to ask Percy what they were doing, when he suddenly thrust his hand forward.

Up to the elbow, his arm disappeared.

Percy cackled in glee as he stepped forward without a second glance, disappearing seemingly into thin air. In a panic, the twins followed, Percy’s name on their lips as they barrelled through and vanished as well. Keyleth went next, much calmer than the others, and on Grogs shoulder the gnomes had no choice but to follow as the goliath sprinted through.

On the other side of the invisible barrier was a brightly coloured town full of humans with dark skin, half-orcs with tattoos, elves and half-elves and green-skinned druids with their ears pierced with deep blue studs and flowers threaded into their hair, each person wearing beautiful gowns and robes of red and gold as they walked from stall to stall, person to person, tavern to tavern. Some had their hair piled high and curled tightly into an up-do that reached the clouds, others had long straight hair decorated with jewels and beads that were tied into a ponytail, others had it shaved or braided close to their heads. Some carried baskets of fruit or flowers or knick-knacks, smiling politely at Vox Machina as they answered.

In awe, Vax leaned closer to Percy. “Uh, Percival, how did you know this was here if it was hidden?” He whispered.

“The sand was darker,” Percy whispered back. “I would have thought nothing of it if there were clouds, but there were none, so it was safe to assume it was a trick.”

Looking down at him, Scanlan could see Percy’s proud grin showed off most of his teeth, his eyes alight as he took in the scenery and watched, wide open and piercing. The gnome so rarely saw his friend smile like this and it sent a pang of joy through his heart but the smile was also unsettling, reminding him of something. Slowly, Scanlan smiled as it dawned on him and leaned sideways against Grog’s head.

“Well,” He laughed, drawn out and loud enough to get the attention of the group but his eyes were fixed on Percy and the predatory glint in the nobles iris. “Looks like a dragon really did give us directions after all!”