Eyes wide like a pair of full moons, Reyen watched dumbfounded as Grog effortlessly downed yet another mug of booze in a series of large gulps before grimacing down at her noticeably lighter coin purse. Though she couldn't see the barmaid hovering over her shoulder due to her raised hood obscuring her peripheral vision, the wizardess could sense the woman's expectant gaze upon her.
"Just…let me know when this runs out." she sighed, fishing another small handful of coins from the bag and sliding it to the table's edge.
After the payment was briskly snatched up and carried off, Reyen dropped her cheek into her palm as her eyes did another sweep over the cozy little inn, absentmindedly tugging on the edge of her hood while her stomach twisted and churned uneasily. Perhaps she should have expected the only tavern for miles to be rather busy, and yet she found herself somewhat perplexed by just how many people had congregated here. There were so many faces to survey, so many expressions to try and decipher, so many eyes to hide from. Even amid the babbling of patrons, the barking of the staff, and the clattering of plates, cups, and platters, the low creak of the main doors caught her ear, a jolt shooting through her as her attention snapped to the newest group of strangers coming to join the crowd.
"Just another group of farmers. The worst they might do to you is try to sell you some produce before you leave town."
Reyen's heart jolted in her chest as her gaze shifted to meet Vax's hazel eyes observing her inquisitively from across the table, although his gaze contained traces of warm empathy intermingled with the keen interest. Her cheeks burned at the realization that in her vigilant surveillance of the numerous unknowns surrounding her, she had failed to maintain her guard against the scrutiny of the group of strangers seated at her own table. Yes, they had provided her much needed aid back in the woods, but they were still strangers, strangers whose favor towards her could change at any moment-
"So what is a noblewoman like yourself doing fleeing through the woods?"
-just like that.
Reyen's blood ran colder than the ale pouring down Grog's throat as her attention shifted to Percy, his gaze far colder than Vax's as it bored deep, searching, into her own. "I'm sorry?"
"Your attempts to be subtle aren't entirely abysmal, but if your clothing and mannerisms aren't already clear enough indicators, the depths of your coin purse is a dead giveaway. Not many people could afford to feed an adventuring party our size, especially not with a half giant on the roster, and the fact that you are only just now starting to show concern about the lightness of your coin purse indicates that worrying about money is not something you are accustomed to." Percy rattled off matter-of-factly, his eyes never once wavering from the wizardess as the flustered flush of her cheeks steadily paled to a more ashen hue. "So let me ask you again: why is a noblewoman like yourself fleeing through the woods all alone? Escaping from an ambush by bandits? Or perhaps trying to avoid an arranged marriage?"
Reyen couldn't breathe, her chest burning as her lungs shriveled to the size of raisins while her mouth ran dry. Her knuckles were turning white from how tightly she gripped the hem of her cloak, a garment she had mistakenly believed to be humble-looking enough not to draw attention. Her heart thundering in her ears only added to the noise of the dozens of thoughts swirling into a wild storm within her panicking mind, each shouting for her attention as she wracked her brain for the best course of action. Should she try to lie? Should she flee?
"There's no need to interrogate her, Percy," Vax chimed in whilst shooting his comrade a pointed look, his tone brandishing a cautionary edge. "She has been through enough-"
"In your haste to play hero, you failed to consider what helping her might bring upon us." Percy retorted just as sharply, sparing Vax only the briefest of glances before returning his attention to the wizardess. "This isn't personal, Reyen. I truly don't give a damn about who you actually are. What I care about is whether or not associating with you will come back to bite us."
"So what if it does, Percival? We did the right thing." The bite to Vax'ildan's voice was far less subtle now, drawing the attention of the rest of the table—well, except for Grog who was blissfully engaged in savoring the newest mug of liquor that had been brought to him.
"Good deeds can still come at a cost, a cost we can't afford to shoulder right now. We have enough on our plates as is at the moment. Demonize me if you want, but I'm trying to protect us by figuring out exactly what we've put ourselves in the middle of." Percy remarked sternly before adding, "You can understand that, can't you Reyen?"
She could. As much as she wished she didn't, Reyen understood Percy's reasoning perfectly. However, just as he wished to protect his team, she too had to protect herself. Perhaps if she revealed just enough, he would be satisfied and let the matter rest. "I-"
The crinkling of paper served as the only warning before Vex swiftly slammed something down into the middle of the table before moving her hand away. From beneath the words "RUNAWAY" etched in bold letters, a monochrome sketch of a somewhat familiar face smiled up at the group, albeit without the blunt bangs that now framed her brilliant blue eyes.
"Her name is Reyen Dubault, and it looks like Mummy and Daddy are offering a pretty little sum for whoever returns their wayward daughter home." the ranger crooned smugly. Observing Reyen's horrified expression, she added with a cheeky chirp, "Oh don't worry, love. I took down all of your other posters that were up on the notice board. Don't need you causing us any further trouble at the moment."
"Dubault…" Percy echoed, his brow wrinkling in thought for a moment before recognition sparked in his eyes. "As in the famous wizarding family of Abriven? Those Dubaults?"
Reyen didn't even notice that she was shaking until she felt a small hand tightly grasp her own. Meeting the gaze of the gnome cleric beside her, the wizardess didn't find judgment or greed boring into her but instead concern and reassurance reaching out for her from those soft eyes, a silent outstretched hand with no strings attached. Hesitantly, she curled her fingers around the cleric's own, bracing herself, before loosing the words on the back of her tongue with a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately."
Scanlan's brow arched as an incredulous smile stretched across his face. "'Unfortunately'? What's so unfortunate about living in the lap of luxury?"
"A life in a gilded cage surrounded by fools and cowards is no life at all." Reyen answered coldly, the sudden frostiness of her tone catching the rest of the table offguard. "There is nothing 'great' about my family. For generations, they've amassed knowledge and magical trinkets, but to what end? Do they use it for anything? Only bragging rights and occasionally showing off for the amusement of the public, that's what. What's there to be proud of in cowards who would rather hide behind their books and ostentatious performances than actually do something with their knowledge and skills?"
"So that's why you left?" Percy probed inquisitively, "To do something more?"
Nodding, Reyen's eyes fell to her free hand, and after a moment, faint wisps of silvery magic began to dance and coil around her fingertips. "What's the point of knowledge and power if you don't use it for anything meaningful? Maybe they're content to squander their gifts on trivialities, but I'm not. I want—no, I need to use my abilities for greater things."
"And let me guess, Mummy and Daddy didn't take that very well?" Vex purred, still leaning against the side of the wizardess's chair.
For the first time since setting foot inside of the tavern, Reyen laughed, the sound dry and acrid. "That would be an understatement. As far as they're concerned, my 'dreams of grandeur' are a death sentence."
"I mean, they're not entirely wrong…" Scanlan began to add, but a sharp elbow to the gut from Vax swiftly cut him off.
"I know there's risk in the life I wish to live, but to me, the possibility of making a difference is worth the danger." As the tendrils of light in her hand began to dissipate, she finally lifted her eyes to meet the stares of the table. "Surely you all can understand that? Why else would you help a complete stranger in her hour of need?"
Awkward silence fell over the table for a moment as the group exchanged uneasy glances before Vex broke the tension with a chuckle, "You're giving us a little too much credit there, love. You've got a lot to learn if you think we are an epitome of honor and heroics."
"Or perhaps you aren't giving yourself enough credit." The response came out a bit more cheeky than Reyen intended, but judging by the slight upward twitch she observed at the corner of the ranger's lips, her unintentional brazenness was welcome enough. "Whatever your reasons, I am grateful for your help. You've bought me a little time before another set of my parents' hired dogs come yapping at my heels."
"Dogs that might come looking for us as well now that we've helped you?" Percy frowned, his expression darkening again.
"I…can't say for sure."
Vax's brow creased faintly with concern. "And what will you do when you're found again? You got lucky this time, but fortune's favor is fickle."
"Well, my goal at the moment is to locate and reconnect with my uncle, Garett Dubault. He was my mentor for years and the only one who didn't dash my dreams—a choice that got him and his family exiled from Abriven. Assuming…Assuming he doesn't hate me, I plan on asking to stay with him and learn whatever else he can teach me. I had hoped to join an adventuring party in the meantime while I searched for him, but as you can imagine, a sheltered wizard with a bounty on her head is a bit of a hard sell." Reyen rambled, another self-deprecating scoff puffing from her lips. "I mean, I don't suppose you all would happen to be looking for an extra member and willing to take a chance on me, would you?"
Once again, awkward silence coupled with glances that spoke louder than words fell over the table. Vex's watchful eyes could practically see the gears turning in her brother's mind, and hardly had he opened his mouth before her response was already poised on the tip of her tongue.
"Absolutely not." She and Percy stated firmly in unison, slightly startling one another though they tried to conceal it.
"And why not?" Vax argued, his gaze shifting from his sister to the gunslinger and then back again. "We just got our asses handed to us; another person, a mage no less, might be just what we need to turn the tides in our favor."
"Vax, with all due respect to everyone here, we barely function as a team the way we are now. Throwing another person into the mix, someone without experience no less, will only exacerbate that problem, not fix it." Percy refuted bluntly, his resolve not wavering in the slightest beneath the rogue's steely gaze.
"Not to mention how easily she was neutralized by that silencing spell earlier." Vex chimed in. "She said it herself: what's the point of power if it isn't able to be used?"
"To be fair, Pike, Scanlan, or myself probably wouldn't have fared any better if we were hit by that kind of spell-" Keyleth began to say only to shrink back a bit in her chair when Vex's piercing gaze swung in her direction. "-I'll stop talking now."
"There's also the matter of not painting a target on our backs-"
"You already said it yourself that we might be targets anyways at this point, Percival!" Vax exclaimed in exasperation. "And the only way she is going to improve is if someone gives her the opportunity to learn! I mean, who are we of all people to cast judgment against someone just looking for a chance to prove themselves? Is that not why we took this damn job in the first place?"
"Why do you care so much what happens to her, brother? You don't know her." Vex scowled at her brother, her hands falling to rest on her hips.
"You hardly knew Percy when we met him and you didn't give him even half as hard of a time about joining us." Vax shot back, his glare perfectly mirroring his sister's.
Vex could feel her cheeks beginning to burn, a fact she hoped Percy wouldn't notice, "You little shi-"
Springing up from her seat, Pike swiftly stepped between the twins with her hands raised, "OKAY, I think we should all take a step back, maybe take a breather before we lose our heads-"
"You know what? Fine." Vex snapped bitterly, twirling on her heels and strutting back to Reyen's side to fix the apprehensive wizardess beneath her harsh stare. "If she can prove herself to be of some kind of use to us against a very real, very deadly dragon, she can join us. Happy?"
"I'm sorry, a…dragon?" Reyen echoed, eyes wide.
"Yes dear, a dragon. That's the shit we are dealing with. Why? You're not getting cold feet on us now, are you?"
Vax knew what his sister was doing. He could tell in the way her eyes were fixed unwaveringly on Reyen, studying her features for even the smallest of tells. Following his sister's gaze, he watched her as well with bated breath, noting the way her gaze grew distant and uncertain for a few seconds before focusing again with fortified clarity.
"What kind of dragon?"
Vex blinked. "Excuse me?"
"What kind of dragon was it?" Reyen repeated calmly. "What color was it? What size? What can you remember about it?"
Vex's tongue sat like a lump of lead in her mouth, her brows knit in confusion. Sensing her uncertainty, Pike spoke up instead. "It was blue and pretty big."
"How big?"
"Big and powerful enough to level a small section of forest without breaking a sweat…and to send Grog flying like a leaf in the wind." Vax clarified, head tilting to the side with piqued curiosity. "It also breathed lightning instead of fire."
"That fits with it being a blue dragon…When you encountered it, what were your surroundings like? Was it overcast or possibly even storming?"
"Something like that, yeah."
"So it's an adult at the very least to be able to affect the environment like that… It could possibly even be ancient." Reyen mumbled whilst one hand pressed pensively to her lips. "That definitely presents more of a challenge."
"What do you mean?" Keyleth grimaced, clearly already dreading the answer.
"The older and more powerful a dragon is, the more tricks it has at its disposal." Reyen explained, her gaze becoming distant again as she delved further into the depths of her own mind. "There are some ancient dragons who can even change their forms to conceal their identities, although there would still be indicators pointing towards their true identity."
"Indicators like what?" Vex prodded, clearly more interested than she was willing to admit.
"It depends on the skill level of the dragon, really. It could be anything from habits and behaviors to physical characteristics like skin tone or eye color."
"So in other words, looking for such signs would be an ineffective waste of time." Vex huffed, arms now folded and resting against her middle. "Anything else?"
Reyen reluctantly shook her head. "That's all I know…but I can find out more."
"Go on…"
"Being a wizard is about more than learning spells and rituals; it requires you to become fluent in the arts of study and research. If I don't know something already, I'm willing to put in the time, effort, and skill required to learn more in as quick and efficient a manner as possible."
"So in other words, you're willing to do all the hard work, meaning others of us won't have to?" Scanlan grinned impishly. "Well, she's got my vote."
Groaning, Vex pinched the bridge of her nose to try and suppress the non alcohol-related ache starting to assault her head. She could feel her comrades' expectant gazes upon her, waiting for her consensus though she wasn't sure for what reason. Clearly their minds were already made up.
"Fine." she grumbled. "For the record though, I still think this is a terrible idea."
"More terrible than fighting a dragon in the first place?" her brother crowed with a smirk.
"Depends on which one gets us killed first."
Perhaps Vex's words should've stung more, but at the moment, Reyen hardly cared. As she surveyed each face around the table in turn, some skeptical and others welcoming, as they all settled back into their nonchalant revelry, her gaze eventually found Vax's, his smile perhaps the warmest of all. She still didn't quite understand why he had argued so fiercely in her favor, but for now, she wasn't about to question his kindness.
"Thank you." She whispered, unsure if he would even hear her above the hubbub of the other patrons.
Chuckling, Vax took a swig of his drink before answering. "Thank me after we all survive slaying this dragon and prove your parents wrong, yeah?"