gloriouslygood | Open RP Post

This will be fun. I can only imagine the sorts of places you've wandered and discovered.

No, not really. I'm generally busiest in the morning but my schedule is so wonderfully flexible here.

that's what i do with most of my time, if i'm not with Vax or one of my friends. Just wander. so i've found lots of really good places.

[she's already got a really good one in mind, actually]

okay. how does, uhhhhm. tomorrow, just before sunset, maybe 45 minutes before sunset? i might change the time a TINY bit but tomorrow for sure?

do you like it? having so much free time now?

It sounds fantastic, my dear. I'll be in the house, so very easy to find. Just come get me if I'm not waiting for you.

In some ways. This is a very long vacation from work but I do miss my shop and making magical things.

As promised, Keyleth showed up, a little early--perhaps an hour before sunset--at Shaun's door the next evening, carrying a picnic basket and a small plant in a container, and smiling a little nervously at him. She was wearing a green sundress and, for perhaps the first time since she'd arrived on the island, a pair of sandals.

It was strange to feel so nervous, and even she knew that--it was "just" Shaun, after all--but she knew that this was a turning point, and in so many ways, an important one. If it went well, then it meant the beginning of an important new chapter that they'd been flirting at the edges of for a little while. And if it didn't...well, Keyleth didn't want to imagine what would happen if it didn't.

"Hi Shaun, it's Keyleth," she said, as had somehow become her custom. "I brought you a little jellyfish plant--it doesn't need anything but air, so you don't have to worry about watering it--and, um, I packed us a nice dinner. Are you ready? I can't wait to show you the spot I found."

"Hello, Keyleth." Shaun was ready. He had dressed in a nice robe with only the top three buttons undone this time since this was a special occasion. His hair was braided back and tossed casually over his shoulder.

He smiled in amusement at the little plant. "What a strange little thing. I'll make sure it gets plenty of sunlight."

How he had found himself courting two gardeners is beyond Shaun. He had never bothered with plants until Caduceus and Keyleth. Now, he was going to get a green thumb just spending time with them.

"I am absolutely ready." He offered her his arm. "Lead on, my dear."

"You look so nice!" the exclamation was warm and genuine, a big smile on her face. "I don't think I've ever seen you with so many buttons done up." She gave him a little rundown on how to care for the plant. "Sunlight is perfect. If it seems a little dry or wilty, you can give it a bath. Or I can check on it when I come snuggle, if that's easier." She knew that he was just learning, and she didn't want him to feel like a failure to his plants in any way, although he'd done a beautiful job with his other plants. Taking his arm, she looked admiringly at him, beginning to lead him to the spot that she'd found--a semi-hidden waterfall with a pretty impressive view of the sunset, which--if they were lucky--would be purple. "Ta-da!"

"Special occasions usually require a little more decorum than flare." He nods slightly as she explains how to care for the plant. It does seem very simple when she puts it like that. Much easier than some of the others she's given him, though they're all alive and doing well.

Shaun chatted while they walked, effortlessly keeping the conversation going. Keyleth's always been pleasant to talk with. She has a kindness that her adventures never beat out of her. Too many let themselves get bitter.

"Well, look at this." Shaun stopped when they reached the waterfall and admired it for a moment. Then he gently nudged Keyleth. "You didn't druid craft this all special for me, did you?"

She lit up, pleased that he liked it, and blushed a bit at the question. "Well, yes and no," she said shyly, positioning the blanket, instructing Shaun to sit so he would have the best view of the impending sunset. "When I found it, it was just a little trickly stream, but I found it just before sunset--like now--and I thought of you, and so I kept coming back until it was perfect." She shrugged. "No big deal, I just wanted you to have a special place. I can draw you a map, if you want." She started laying out the food carefully--sandwiches she'd made from things she'd found in the kitchen, pretty cupcakes, fruit, a bottle of wine.

"My dear, this is a special place for both of us." He caught her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I wouldn't dream of taking it from you. We'll share it. A nice little place to escape to when we need it."

He picked up the wine and pressed his thumb against the cork. Just a little push of magic popped it out and he poured a glass for both of them. "Now, if I could make one little suggestion... maybe a deeper pool at the bottom both bathing and swimming."

His tone suggested some other activities but he didn't name them.

She flushed, pleased, at the kiss to her knuckles, watching him with starry eyes as he opened the wine bottle and poured it for them.

"Oh!" at the suggestion, she took a mouthful of wine, nodded appreciatively, and then got to her feet. "Here, let's go do it right now so we can go swimming later." Taking him easily by the hand, leading him toward the base of the waterfall and kneeling down to start the work of druidcrafting it. "Let me know when you think it's deep enough. Oh, and check the temperature while you're here. I want it to be warm enough so we don't have to wear clothes to swim." Eyes twinkling with mischief.

Shaun laughed a little as Keyleth took his hand and pulled him to the water. He had thought it could wait until after they had dinner and talked but her enthusiasm was adorable.

"Why don't you make it as deep as Grog is tall and have little places for people to sit?" He gestured to one side of the water. "Right there would be a good place."

He trailed his fingers through the water. "Hmm, I think a little cool water would be nice. The heat of the day can be very intense, you know."

She made the modifications, nodding at the idea of seats. "I wouldn't have thought of seats!" She was delighted by the idea. "Oh, that's a good idea. I can teach you the cantrip to make it warmer, so if you bring anyone else out here and you find it too cold, you can warm it up." She smiled up at him. "There. A little pool for us."

"My dear, if I bring people out here and tempt them into the water things will be plenty warm," he purred.

He caught her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Come enjoy some wine and food first. We'll swim under the stars."

And it would give Keyleth a chance to get comfortable with the idea of seeing each other naked. Which would be a big step for them. Shaun was certainly comfortable with the idea.

She seemed a little confused by that, but she'd get it eventually.

"Oh, yes, okay, that sounds lovely," she agreed, sitting cross-legged on the blanket and getting things situated, offering Shaun a plate. "I'm really glad you agreed to come out with me," she said after a moment.

Keyleth's innocence was endearing. She had such a sweetness that so many people on this island lacked.

"Did you think I'd say no?" he asked, a little curious. True, his relationship was mostly with Vax and always had been when it came to Vox he cared for them all so much.

And not once had he ever had any ill will towards Keyleth for her relationship with Vax. They were friends.

Keyleth was quiet for some time, focusing on her food, before she replied. "Yes and no," she said after a while. "We'd spent a fair amount of time together and talked about it. I don't think I would've asked if I wasn't mostly sure you'd say yes. But even as my fondness for you grows and the part of me that's certain of what we could be becomes more certain, i still sometimes doubt myself."

And then, with that admission out of the way, she became extremely interested in folding her napkin.

"Nothing wrong with being a bit nervous. I admit, I've never had a serious relationship with a woman." Shaun sipped his wine and shrugged. "It's even rarer I sleep with them."

Shaun adored men of all shapes and sizes. While he could admire women and their beauty but it was rare he really slept with them. "In fact, I've only slept with one while I've been here. But I am so fond of you. And you are beautiful. Whatever we become, I do love you."

And he did. He loved all of Vox Machina. They were so incredibly dear to him.

"I don't--" she paused. "We don't have to do that part," she said, helpfully, and then took a too-long drink of her wine. "But I feel the same way about you. You've been very kind to me and I've enjoyed our time together here. And if it makes things easier with...well, that's a nice bonus. But I've felt so comfortable with you since we started spending more time together, and...I thought this was...it felt like...yes." She nodded. "I love you, too, Shaun."

"I certainly don't mind cuddling like we have in the past," Shaun mused in between bites of food. "So, if it never turns sexual I don't think we'll be missing anything from a relationship."

They would get to enjoy each other's company, cuddle, and get high together. When he wanted sex he had plenty of other lovers to turn to.

"We really should invite Vax to our next cuddle. Have all three of us enjoy it."

Keyleth took a few more bites, nodding. "I think it's possible to have a relationship--even a romantic one--without sex. And to have it be happy and loving and fulfilling." She thought fondly of all the things she and Shaun already shared--cuddles and talks and getting high--and smiled.

At the mention of inviting Vax, her face lit up a little, and then she looked shyly down at the blanket, twisting the edge of it between her fingers. "Oh! Yeah? You--I--yes. I would like that a lot."

"I've heard of such things." But Shaun had never experienced them himself. Something like that with Keyleth would be a new experience for him. He did so love a new experience and it was worth a try. No one wanted Vax to be forced to choose again.

"I would too." He smiled warmly at her. "We should surprise him with it, I think. On a day when he clearly needs to relax a bit."

Because Vax would carry the weight of the whole world on his shoulders if they didn't intervene.

She suddenly wanted to be closer to Shaun, and so she scooted carefully, almost shyly, so she was, taking another mouthful of wine. "Yes, definitely. We'll surprise him and we'll all snuggle up and I think that'll really help him." It sounded really nice, to be curled up with both of them, and she hummed a little, happily. "We have to take care of him, cause he's not...so great at doing it himself." Conspiratorially, with a little smile.

Shaun chuckled as he leaned in close and whispers dramatically, "He's actually the worst at it. How can someone skilled at so many things be that bad at looking after himself?"

It was nice, actually, to talk to her about Vax. While their shared love had many people who cared about him on the island Shaun felt there was something special in the way they loved Vax that set them apart. Keyleth was really the only one who could understand.

"We'll have to do it ourselves."

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