Critical Role Campaign 2 Oneshots

2: Veth & Fjord

no angst, just some thoughts and buttons sewn

Veth isn't dumb. But Fjord is.

Just looking at him automatically makes her want to glare and turn away. She still remembers the wreck of the sandbag throw and watching him get beat to shit by a turtle of all things. Utterly ridiculous!

She doesn't fully understand his call to water either. She's working on her own trauma but watching the way Fjord sometimes looks out to the sea from the beach or the edge of their ship The Balleater...

It disturbs her.

Now, Veth is fully aware of Fjord's past. She's seen the temples herself, hell she's seen him choke up the salt water. The sword he now wields is not the one he met her with. That falchion is long gone, as well as the hick accent. She almost misses the accent, the "Eldritch Blast" is not the same. Veth doesn't think she'll ever forget seeing him push the cloven crystal through his chest. That's a big one.

He's a cocky bastard as well. Charming Avantika might be the smoothest thing he's done. He doesn't think about the consequences for himself before he just takes action. She takes great joy in knocking him down a few pegs.

Making obscure references to his name is a great pastime. When he lost his powers, she couldn't help but take the piss out of him. Threatening to throw her? Highly unlikely. Powers or not. Offering to show him how to use a crossbow? That one was actually genuine, her five-year old can do it, so why couldn't he?

She complains about him often. But she'd be a fool to see how others feel about him. Beau and Caleb see him as a brother, Yasha as a comrade. Who knows what Molly thought of him, of any of them really. Caduceus cares. He saw something in that weirdo that made him lead Fjord to the Wildmother. Now, Veth's not religious but she is a mother. Whatever Uk'otoa was, it wasn't good. Came from the water and everything.

Now Jessie, she cares. The longing in Jester's face when she looks at Fjord makes her remember her own husband. Yeza is nowhere near as broad or dumb as Fjord, but he made her so happy. He is kind and warm. Always bumbling about chemical compounds and new ideas to try. Jester feels the same about Fjord when he speaks of the ocean; of the places he's sailed, the people he's met and the monsters he's slain.

While she might still be salty about Fjord trying to coax her into the water with the promise of treasure from the oh so great "Buttonbeard the Pirate", (which she researched later on to confirm he did not exist, that bastard) Veth knows deep down it was not malicious. Like most of their banter, there's no venom behind it. Their relationship reached a stagnant point when Fjord actually apologized for forcing her into the water once her backstory came about.

She holds no grudge to that. How could he have known? He pulls away a bit after that. Veth notices in the way he no longer banters back with her. She hates it. How does she show him she's not upset?

Oh! A gift!

Buttons are her thing, there's no debate. Veth's button collection has grown since she's been with the Mighty Nein. She keeps them in an old sweets container in her pack where no one's the wiser. She could totally part with one of her buttons right? But what if Fjord loses it? Then there's no sign of forgiveness and she no longer has a button. So, she comes up with a solution.

When she's on first watch the next night, she scoots closer to Fjord's stuff. He's dead asleep on his back with his mouth slightly parted. Veth sees him breathing softly through his mouth as his tusks peak through his lips. Her face turns to disgust before the snore from him escapes. God he's even uglier when he's asleep.

Taking his coat, she holds it in her lap as she reaches for the front edge. There are already buttons going up for the functionality of closing the coat if he chooses. Can't add any there. Although, who says buttons have to be functional? Hell, Veth's wearing a necklace of some of her favorite buttons right now!

That settles it. She's gonna sew a button on anyway. But what if he doesn't like it? Veth takes that into consideration. She reaches for the bottom edge, the one closest to his legs when it's on his person. What if she lines the inside with buttons, that way they aren't on full display and he will know they are from her.

Veth gets to work, sewing more than a dozen blue and blue-green buttons in a glorious ombre along the inner edge of Fjord's overcoat. None of the buttons are the same size but they fit nicely in a row, sewn in like only Veth could. She admires her work, cleans up the edges once more before replacing the coat.

As she's doing so, she notices Jester's still awake and giving her the hardest stare she could muster from across their campfire. That just means she is pursing her lips and frowning a tiny bit. Veth gives a gentle nod and smile to show she is up to no mischief and Jester only nods back, drifting back to sleep. Veth finishes folding the coat back before settling down on her cot next to Caleb, falling asleep to the sound of her own button necklace clacking against itself.

~

Fjord doesn't notice the additions to his coat until later the next day. He was playing with the edges while the group was taking a break walking their next adventuring route further inland. Fjord felt no connection to Uk'otoa, but he was already missing the sea. As he was contemplating the waves, he felt under the hemmed edge of his coat when he felt them.

Opening his coat and taking a closer look, he saw the neat row of mismatched sized buttons arranged by color down the inside. It didn't take him long to figure out who on Earth would do something that unusual. He's been kinda ignoring Veth the past few days. After finding out she also had issues with accidents and drowning, he's been more reserved around her.

He had no clue why she hated the water. Fjord just thought she was being petty because he was him just as she was her. Looking back, he hates how he acted. That's why he hasn't engaged with her banter or bullshit recently. He would be mad if someone else gave him shit for his own trauma as he did her.

But... he keeps running his fingers over the button row now etched into his clothing. The seams are still intact and there are no mysterious stains. Just the button row. Looking closer, he sees how similar to the ocean the colors are. How nicely sewn they are. As a man who can appreciate a good home ec. project, he sees the care put into the gifted mismatched buttons.

Hmm. Maybe she's not as upset as he thought?