//Fated Campaign !!!
If there are any mistakes in this... lemme live a life of ignorance my friends ;') <3
I have so many half-finished drafts I'm so annoyed- I just randomly stopped this one that was already nearly finished?? It's been here for so long- This is ended pretty badly but I cannot be arsed with continuing to add and change this draft it's been in my drafts mocking me-
If I have any motivation at a later date, I'll probably change the ending, but I also like to end it as abruptly as the scenes did in the Fated, yk? They like say a dumb line and call the scene there? Idk-
SPOILERS FOR ARC1 AND ARC2 OF THE FATED CAMPAIGN!!
Specifically, set after ARC2 EP28 !!
I have the idea that Br'aad tried not to be visibly sad often because of his guilt of Sylnan giving a bunch to keep him safe and happy. He tries to keep being all goofy and shit all the time in front of people, as if being any other way is acting ungrateful towards Sylnan's many sacrifices.
That kinda shows in a few parts in this >:)
There are no happy hc's of Br'aad in my head.
(this is a lie I only want him to be happy-- in fact I at the end of this I give the Vengolor bros a b r e a k and give Sylnan a break with his whole possessed by asshole demon thing to cheer his baby brother up >:)) I swear I can be nice to them-)
I fear this campaign just brings out the childish side of me? In terms of blatant dick jokes- Hilltree draws a penis and laughs his ass off. I love him <3
I also can't remember when they set the party for, so I've set the time like late afternoon turning evening :') If it's inaccurate, so is the rest of this fic, lemme live /nm
TW// food mention, (if there are any others, please lemme know!)
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"Thanks for the party."
The once brightly decorated cabin of the ship had now been ruined, parts of cake still covered the wooden floorboards, and balloons had been freed of their weights, floating to the top of the ceiling before disappearing completely. The conjured lights and other small details had also long since been dispelled, the caster far too upset to keep the concentration for them. The caster in question, of course, was Br'aad Vengolor. He was motionless on the floor, head hanging low enough for his hair to hide his face. Those around him didn't need a visual of him to know he was crying.
Velrisa said nothing, instead making small efforts to tidy up where she could without disturbing Br'aad. She did, however, shoot a small glare at Mountain, which prompted the dwarf to break the tense silence.
"I uh... M'sorry. 'Bout the cake and... everythin'. He deserved it, but uh-"
Br'aad sniffled, head still low, "Y-You didn't need to throw t-the whole cake... the whole thing, Mountain, I..."
Mountain supposed he could understand how escalated things had gotten, and sure, the whole cake didn't need to be thrown at Sylnan. But on the other hand... "Well, he was bein' a dick, so... I-I wasn't really thinking about how much cake I was throwin'... It was just seeing the cake, take it, throw it... it was either that or I punched him, I-" Velrisa shot another look to Mountain, helping him to hurry up with what he was attempting to say. "Either way, m'sorry this whole thing didn't work out. I'll uh- I'll go."
Br'aad slowly lifted his head, watching as Mountain shuffled awkwardly out and up the stairs, most likely trying to get to any place but here. He also caught a small and silent interaction between Taxi and Velrisa, watching as Velrisa nodded to the tabaxi, taking whatever she had managed to grab and tidy with her as she too left, departing with a soft-spoken apology. From what little Br'aad could see, she had cleared up quite an impressive amount. A second after she left, Taxi joined Br'aad on the floor, crouching next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I-It's okay. We can... We can make another cake-"
Br'aad's voice was tight, tears and repressed sobs making his voice small. "N-No we can't... not like that one... H-He didn't even try a single bite, he just punched Mountain in the face..."
"We could make a pretty pineapple cake? Sweet strawberry?"
Br'aad wasn't sure if he had ever heard Taxi's voice so soft, but it was definitely appreciated, even if he couldn't articulate that thanks right now. "You know I wanna make a pretty pineapple cake..."
"Then we'll make one right now, yeah? Just for you. Hey, s'alright..."
Br'aad shook his head, a childishness coming from him that he couldn't fight. An overwhelming sense of sadness came back over him in waves, dampening all hope of motivation. "I don't wanna... I-I don't know why I thought this'd work. It was so stupid, no party or cake is gonna help him... I just thought if I showed him that we were all here for him, he'd..." Br'aad's voice broke, a heavy sob cutting him off as his head fell once more, feeling two arms wrapping around him instantly. It was easy enough to lean into, no longer sitting on his knees, and instead leaning into Taxi, legs coming up to curl into himself. "I don't know what to do..."
"Shh... It's gonna be okay... we'll figure it out. We just have to remember that Sylnan... he isn't himself right now. We're gonna get him back to normal..."
The two stayed like this for a while, and Taxi was willing to stay as long as Br'aad needed him to. Seeing the one person who was always so positive and full of hope fall to such a lost and desperate state made his heart twist, a protectiveness coming over him telling him to try and preserve as much of Br'aad's natural sunlight as he was able to. To protect him from anything that could even potentially dim his brilliance a fraction.
It took roughly ten maybe fifteen minutes until Taxi felt Br'aad's breathing regulate to a somewhat steady pace, hiccuping every now and again, though he had expected as much. Allowing Br'aad to unwrap himself from his embrace, Taxi watched the blonde try to sneakily wipe at his eyes and cheeks, which had become red and puffy from his crying, as if he hadn't been cradling him while he was upset. He decided he wouldn't bring it up.
"Are... you feeling any better?"
Br'aad's voice came out croaky and shaky, clearly still upset, but had managed to pull himself together enough to stop crying."I mean... no. But m'bored of crying about it. M'sorry I got so... that. I-It just got a lot all at once, I don't-"
Taxi rolled his eyes, a look of disbelief as he watched Br'aad try to apologise for being understandably upset. "Don't be stupid, s'fine..." He felt a lump of awkwardness as he trailed off, failing to find any useful words. Arguably he was of more use when he was comforting Br'aad a second ago. "Y-You must be tired... s'been... eventful. You go get some sleep, and I'll clean up down here. Cedric will kill us if he finds this place a mess."
"No! I-I mean, uh... I'm not tired! I helped make this mess, might as well clean it up, right?" Br'aad stopped his rambling once he saw the unconvinced expression of Taxi. "... I don't really wanna be alone... My head's pretty loud right now and-"
"Perfect!" Suddenly, not allowing Br'aad to continue, Taxi stood to his feet swiftly, offering a hand (paw?). "Then we'll make you your pretty pineapple cake!"
Br'aad chuckled, it being a more tired and melancholy sound than what the half-elf would usually offer, but it was progress nonetheless. "Aren't we supposed to be cleaning the mess we already made..? I don't know how well making a second cake will do for that, Taxi-"
"Ah, who cares. This is about cheering you up! We'll clean up afterwards. Or during- whatever, I'll figure it out. But right now, let's focus on the recipe and what we need, okay?"
Br'aad couldn't fight the small smile that broke out across his features, a warmth filling his chest as he nodded. "Okay."
As uneasy as the atmosphere had been after Sylnan had stormed out, that tenseness had started to fade now that it was just Taxi and Br'aad, the two collecting ingredients and working around each other as Taxi mixed the dry ingredients and Br'aad mixed the wet ones. The two had learned that this was better for the tabaxi, preferring to avoid any components of the cake mixture that would possibly ruin his fur. Br'aad had been quiet for most of the time, only mumbling small repetitions of instructions to himself or Taxi, either in an attempt to remember the step he was on or to confirm he was doing it correctly. He had also since tied back his hair, an unfamiliar sight to Taxi. Br'aad had managed to tie his hair up into a messy sort of bun, pinning it in place with his wand, of course ensuring it was safe enough. Apparently, he did it a lot more than Taxi realised, and so he decided to place his trust in Br'aad. If anything did go wrong, Taxi would take the blame. Br'aad had been through enough shit for one day.
But now with this new hairstyle, Taxi couldn't help but steal a few glances in Br'aad's direction, finding the way stray strands of golden curls fell perfectly enough to keep framing his face. Br'aad having his hair tied back also allowed Taxi to get a better look at his face overall. Not that with his hair down, Br'aad's features were unnoticeable. In fact, many times throughout their travels, Taxi had noted how often Br'aad was called 'pretty boy', and for good reason.
He was very pretty.
"Taxi!"
Taxi jumped, coming back to the present to see a confused Br'aad staring straight back at him, a mixing bowl filled with smooth cake mix in his hands. "Are you good? I've been saying your name for like a minute-"
"You're pretty..."
Br'aad only looked more lost, though Taxi did notice a hint of colour flush across his cheeks. "Uh... what?"
"Y-you're pretty good at mixing! Good job! That looks great!" As he attempted to laugh off his slip-up, he watched as Br'aad's puzzlement grew even more so, until he eventually gave up. If he had any remaining suspicions, he didn't show them. "N-Now we just need to put it in the oven and we'll uh... clean up in the meantime! Yeah?"
"Okay...?"
Cleaning didn't take as much effort as the two had thought it would. Both Taxi and Br'aad found it quite relaxing to clean up, both almost dancing around the other as they went around to the few small tables Velrisa and Mountain had set up, placing them back where they'd been initially.
A small interruption came about maybe halfway through their cleaning up, small footsteps coming down the stairs, followed by heavier ones. Br'aad didn't need to look to know who the first footsteps belonged to, especially not when a familiar goblin ran up and grabbed his leg. "Br'aad!"
This got his attention enough to crouch down, seeing just how confused and hurt Hilltree seemed to be, Br'aad's stomach sinking. Sylnan hadn't been in the best of moods leaving, even more irritable than he had been during their journey, and since Hilltree typically stayed with the rogue, and from experience, Br'aad could imagine the outburst Hilltree probably received.
"S-Sylnan... Why's he mad? He's broken..? Or just don't like us no more?"
"H-Hey..! Hey, no, that's not it. Sylnan isn't broken or mad at us... -well okay, he might be a little mad, but it isn't him... I-I uh... we just gotta be there for him a little longer, okay? Try and work around him a bit when he's like this. Why, what's he said to you, buddy?"
In place of Hilltree, who just hugged Br'aad even more, a sign he didn't want to talk about it, Cedric's voice came from the base of the stairs. A frustrated expression told Br'aad more than enough, as well as confirming his suspicions of Hilltree's experience with Sylnan.
"I understand you have had a difficult time as of late, Br'aad. And I am truly sorry for this idea of yours, and that it went so poorly. However..." As he trailed off, Cedric walked over to the half-elf and goblin, the half-elf in question starting to meet Cedric's eyes. "If you do not figure out a solution for his attitude, then I will be leaving him at our next stop. That or I throw him off if he continues like he is."
"Now isn't the time for this kind of conversation, captain. Surely you can see that?" Taxi's voice came from beside Br'aad, the tabaxi having come stood next to the blonde as soon as Cedric walked towards him with his stern expression. Taxi's voice had shifted from the soft and patient tone Br'aad had been hearing for the time they'd been down here. He couldn't place it, but it felt protective in a way.
"Y-Yeah, I... I'm not just gonna let you do that. He's still my brother. He's just not in the best state right no-"
"It is not a matter of you allowing me to do as I have warned. It is a matter of how long your brother's attitude problems last. I can sympathise with your difficulties with your brother, of course, and I have said that already. But I do not allow attitude problems aboard my ship. If a crew is not tightly kept, chaos ensues. And I am a man who much more favours order. Am I understood? Br'aad?"
When Cedric said his name, Br'aad felt a hint of discomfort, as if he had been yelled at by a parent or an adult, unable to find his voice, other than a small, "I-I get it. S'your ship..." He internally cursed himself for giving such a weak response. He had to be stronger, now more than ever with Sylnan's worsening mood shifts.
"I'm glad we have come to an understanding. I am sorry for having to say this to you, but you are responsible for your brother, as he is for you. I-"
"Y-Yeah, that's great. I get it. I uh... I'd just like to get back to making this cake? Please? Sylnan should be in that room for the rest of today, I... I don't think he'd want to see any of us, 'specially not me. So y'should be good for today. Captain."
"And what do you suppose I do for his duties? To allow him his tantrum-"
"I'll do them. Hilltree can help me. Just..." Br'aad failed to find any more words, but he stood maintaining eye contact with Cedric regardless, refusing to come across as any weaker than he already had. He felt his shoulders quickly tense and relax when a weight of a paw (hand?) rested in the middle of his back, a ghost of a smile crossing his lips. Cedric stood there for a few more seconds before sighing, nodding once, and stepping back.
"I appreciate how much you care for your brother. And I appreciate your work ethic. You're a good man, Br'aad, it is just a shame your brother is... whatever it is that you've said is wrong with him. I will leave you to your cake. Thank you for letting me say my piece." And with that, Cedric nodded once more before leaving. The moment he did, Br'aad exhale a long and shaky breath he didn't know he had been holding, a frustrated groan leaving him as well.
"Well if I didn't let you say your peace, you'd probably throw me off the fuckin' ship-"
"Br'aad?" Taxi's voice interrupted any more sarcastic comments that threatened to spill from Br'aad, his tone gentle and patient once more.
"...M'fine. I just... whatever, it's fine. Let's keep cleaning up-" Before Br'aad was able to throw his mind into cleaning, Taxi enveloped him in a hug, head resting gently on top of Br'aad's head, and Br'aad's head immediately finding the crook of Taxi's shoulder, leaning into the embrace before he returned it. "... Thank you."
"It's fine... You looked like you needed one. We will figure this all out with Sylnan. Okay? I promise you."
A comfortable silence settled between the two. Taxi was wracking his mind for any remedies that'd work for Sylnan, though nothing other than Velrisa's pendant came to mind. Br'aad finally let his brain switch off for a few seconds, only focusing on feeling Taxi's arms holding him firmly, the only feeling he could identify was the feeling of being safe. Entirely and utterly secure.
"U-Uhh... Is that thing meant to be all smokey nd' smelly?"
Having momentarily forgotten Hilltree was there, Taxi and Br'aad quickly stepped away from each other, both just as awkward as the other before it clicked in their minds as to what Hilltree said.
"tHE PRETTY PINEAPPLE CAKE!"
Disaster had been avoided, barely. But now was the time for optimism, so disaster had been avoided! Having successfully retrieved the cake from the oven, Br'aad, Hilltree and Taxi were witness to the charred edges of the cake, but other than that, it smelled delightful!
Hilltree clumsily climbed onto Br'aad, just high enough to the point where he could see the cake, an unimpressed expression replacing the evident effort it took to get up the half-elf. "Looks shit."
"I-It does not look shit! You don't know what you're talking about, Hilltree-" Amidst his stuttering, Taxi instead looked at Br'aad, refusing to acknowledge Hilltree or his rude comments. "I-It's gonna be great, Br'aad. I-I'm sorry for letting it burn like that, I-"
Now it was Br'aad's turn to roll his eyes as Taxi apologised for a stupid reason. A fond smile grew as Taxi frantically tried to reassure him. "It's fine, Taxi. I'm sure it's a kick-ass pineapple cake. Thank you. Now stop hyperventilating and let's decorate this fucker!"
With Br'aad's excited demand, Taxi went to gather all of the ways the two of them had come up to decorate the cake with. Br'aad had moved the cake onto a table they kept out, once Hilltree jumped down from him of course, pulling chairs around it as well as picking up Hilltree so that he could see the cake a bit better. With the goblin's agreement, Br'aad let him rest on his lap, grinning as Hilltree eyed the cake before looking to Taxi, a silent pleading clear from his round eyes darting from the desert to the cat. Seeing that Hilltree obviously wanted to assist the two, Taxi fought against his better judgement and gave Hilltree a small tube of frosting that he and Br'aad had made earlier. Part of the tabaxi regretted giving him such a potentially messy decorative tool, but the other half argued Br'aad wouldn't care about the mess or looks of the cake as long as there was enjoyment in participating and in decorating it. And from the look of pure unadulterated fondness on Br'aad's face seeing Hilltree concentrate on aiming for the cake with the frosting, Taxi figured the latter was more likely, leaving Hilltree to his own devices.
After a few seconds of keeping an eye on Hilltree, Taxi passed a few slices of pre-cut pineapple to Br'aad, who smiled as thanks before he started placing the slices as best as he could while still allowing Hilltree room to put frosting. Taxi decided to let the two dance and manoeuvre around each other as they both simultaneously tried to decorate the cake, watching them with an affectionate look. Hilltree was definitely a Vengolor. As Taxi continued to watch them, he found himself watching Br'aad more than anything, noticing how his eyes were less puffy, still a slight redness to them, but they had otherwise returned to normal. His eyebrows had relaxed from their almost constantly furrowed state, laxer. The overall aura and presence of Br'aad had become less heavy, less sad. He certainly hadn't gotten over today, not at all. But the small details that the tabaxi noticed told him he didn't have to worry as much about trying to cheer him up. Not that he planned to stop at all.
He would stay with Br'aad for as long as he wanted him to. Hell, Taxi would call off any training sessions with Mountain if it meant he'd be there for Br'aad.
This made Taxi stop for a second, the small realisation of just how important Br'aad had become somehow surprising him. Sure Taxi always considered his party members a priority, and he was a very loyal friend, he knew. But somehow, without realising it, Br'aad had surpassed all of that. Thankfully, this awareness helped Taxi to not repeat the same embarrassment as before when he lost himself in thought, seeing Br'aad about to speak.
"You doin' okay there bud? You that bored?" Taxi could tell Br'aad was teasing, the grin being all he needed as proof. But somehow, he still found himself fumbling over his words.
"I-I-I don't uh- well n-no! No, I uh, I love sitting back and... n-not that I won't help, I just- uhm- W-What was the question..?" He really didn't know how he managed to fuck up with talking that badly.
Thankfully, it wasn't nearly bad enough for Br'aad to tease him about it. That, or he just felt too bad to attempt to tease him about it. Taxi wasn't sure what was better. Br'aad instead laughed, shaking his head as he pushed the cake slightly towards Taxi. "You're cute. Here, put your slices on. You get the finishing touch! Don't fuck it up, Saxi."
Now, Taxi didn't have enough resolve in himself to process what really happened. And this clearly showed with how his mumbles (poor attempts at talking) came out as stutters, only fuelling Br'aad's chuckles more. Hilltree didn't have much of an opinion of Taxi's antics, chalking it up to this being an everyday occurrence for the tabaxi. He did look up to Br'aad when he called him 'cute', but again, it was quickly brushed off.
It didn't take all that long for Taxi to finally finish off the slice of pineapple, though the result was less... sophisticated than he had imagined the cake to be. It was pretty big, a circular spongecake with pineapple in it, the frosting being a pale yellow that covered the top and cut through the middle of both sponges, of course, the frosting was an attempt to hide any charring, but it was hard to do in some areas. If someone looked at the cake with closed eyes, it'd look perfect!
The top demanded all of the attention. Pineapple slices were placed quite neatly by both Br'aad and Taxi, and then came Hilltree's additions. Attempts of smiley faces were the most noticeable. There was a strange shape, possibly nearing inappropriate, but Taxi could tell Br'aad had intercepted this before Hilltree could finish. Upon noticing that Taxi saw this, Br'aad snatched the last remnants of frosting in the tube and instead made another happy face, this one "just having a longer nose than most people".
It was a dick. They all knew what it was. Anyone with eyes and a high even level of immaturity could tell it was a dick. But this was Br'aad's cake, so for the sake of keeping the peace: it was a happy face with a longer nose than most people.
"So..! What uh- what do you think? It's less... pretty than I pictured it being, so maybe it'll just be a... P-Peculiar Pineapple Cake..?"
Br'aad grinned at this, an amused glint in his eyes. "Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, my dear Taxi. So I personally think it's a Pretty Peculiar Pineapple Cake."
"Penis."
"No."
"Penis! I drew it wiv' me own tube!
Taxi watched Br'aad battle with this until the blonde sighed. He had been defeated.
"... It's a Pretty Peculiar Penis Pineapple Cake..." At which Hilltree giggled enough to fall off of Br'aad's lap, still cackling.
Taxi leaned in, speaking quietly to not disturb Hilltree's amusement, "We can totally just call it a Pretty Peculiar Pineapple Cake, Br'aad- in fact, I think I'd be happier if we did? I-"
"Yeah no, m'in the same boat, Taxi... Hey, d'you think you could help me with something in a little bit? But you can't think it's stupid or anything."
"I'm not going to think it's stupid, Br'aad. Of course, I'll help you. I'd help you with anything I'm able to. What is it?"
Br'aad hesitated, looking to the cake and then in the directions of the sleeping quarters before speaking again, "O-Okay, so... Sylnan didn't really get a chance to try the cake we made him, since uh... well I guess he tasted a bit? But he didn't want to, Mountain just kinda... threw it at him- A-Anyways, I was thinking that maybe you could just come with me to bring a small slice to him? I-I don't expect him to open the door or anything, but maybe when he's in a better mood he'll open the door to see a little piece of cake? Might be nice... I'd do it myself but, well I don't know, spending time with you is nice and I just think it'll be easier if you were there. B-But it's totally fine if you don't feel like it or anything! H-he's my brother and like Cedric said, my responsibility so I can-"
"Br'aad. Stop talking."
"Yea, cool okay. Got it. Sorry. Okay, I'm stopping now."
Taxi smiled at Br'aad's fumbling, thankful he wasn't the only one who had his moments, and gently cupped Br'aad's cheek, which Br'aad leaned into almost instantly. Taxi kept note of how perfectly the blonde's face seemed to fit. "How could you think that idea was stupid? I think it's really sweet. You are... the most kind-hearted person I've ever met? And... And I say this with only the intention to make you aware but, with Sylnan's... current state of mind being all aggressive and such, I just don't want you to get hurt if a similar thing to the surprise party ends up happening, y'know? I-I mean of course I'll be there with you, but when I saw you explaining to Sylnan why we threw the party and made a cake for him, I couldn't help but have this bittersweetness about it all..."
"I-I know... I think a part of me expected shit to hit the fan? I-I just really hoped I was wrong. But I think I still wanna try, ya know? I don't want him to feel any more alone or anything... At the very least, I think it'll make me feel a bit better about everything."
"Then that's what we'll do. Just tell me when you want to do this and we can go then, yeah? But for the time being..! Since this cake is for you, let's see how we did?"
"Yeah. I'd like that. Thanks for this, Taxi... It means a whole lot. I-I swear I'll be back to myself after we get Sylnan back to normal. Stop bein' all sad and stuff." As Br'aad said this, Taxi couldn't comprehend how he could possibly grin at something like that. This seemed to show somehow in Taxi's expression, because Br'aad's grin immediately fell, a muttered apology spoken under his breath. Taxi simply brushed his thumb across his cheek, a gentle and affectionate gesture.
"Br'aad. I like you either way. Sad or otherwise. And I'll always be there for you, as long as you want me. You understand me?"
Both Br'aad and Taxi seemed to process the tabaxi's words at the same time, and consequently, both wore similar expressions, though Taxi would like to believe he held a little more resolve than he felt he had. Just to keep the illusion he had some kind of cool.
He did not.
Br'aad's look of upset and slight discomfort from being so upset in front of Taxi had once again been replaced by a grin, though this one was much wider than before. Of course, Taxi noticed how this grin was accompanied by a subtle enough red colouring the blonde's features. It suited him.
"And... I mean, hypothetically, if I always wanted you with me? What then, Saxi?"
Now it was Taxi's turn to grin, a giddiness budding in his chest that threatened to break any fading remains of his composure. "Then I would always be by your side. Hypothetically, of course."
"Uh-huh... T-That uh... S'good to know..."
Taxi chuckled. It wasn't often that Br'aad became flustered, and knowing that his reply had caused this rarity to occur, giving him a flash of pride. "You seem to be turning a little red, there, Br'aad. You warm?"
"Yeah okay, now you're bein' an asshole-" Br'aad's words practically rushed from his lips, his flushed cheeks only reddening before he pulled away from Taxi's hold. All the while, Taxi saw the amused smirk that Br'aad sported, telling him that no real harm was done.
"Br'aad..! Br'aad! Can I 'ave the cake? M'hungry. Br'aad?"
Br'aad's attention was quickly pulled to Hilltree, who was pulling on his trouser leg weakly. Br'aad looked down, seeing Hilltree completely avoiding looking back at him, instead having his head tilted upwards towards the cake that sat on the table.
"W-Well, Hilltree, technically it's a cake for Br'aad-"
Br'aad simply looked to Taxi, leaning in close and whispering, "If it's shit, he'll be the one to have it! Plus, he hasn't had a great time recently either... I don't need a whole cake, Taxi. Making it was what made tonight better for me, y'know? Like I said, spending time with you has been nice..." Without waiting for a reply or reaction, he looked back at the goblin. "Sure you can, bud. Here, lemme cut you a slice. Big slice or small?"
"Huge!"
"Okay, we'll go medium."
The next hour or so was spent between Br'aad, Hilltree and Taxi, both Taxi and Br'aad having their own slices of the Pretty Peculiar Pineapple Cake (Hilltree had begrudgingly accepted bot versions, though swore complete loyalty to his preferred name of the cake), and after all three had eaten their slices, talked amongst themselves until Hilltree interrupted with, truly a very obnoxious, yawn. Br'aad seemed amused at this, Taxi, on the other hand, saw much more than he needed to of the goblin's mouth, and decided not to comment.
"Y'know, if you're tired, Hilltree, you can go to bed." Br'aad, in all honesty, figured Hillree would be a little hesitant about turning in for the night, many because he typically sleeps in Sylnan's room. And knowing Sylnan, the door to the room he's kept himself away in had most likely been locked for a long time now.
"U-Uhm... We-well yeah, I know. I uh- M'not tired though."
"There's gotta be another room that's free, right?"
Hilltree thought back a little, remembering that there had been another two free rooms near the one he had found Sylnan in. Br'aad noticed this realisation, nodding before Hilltree spoke. "Then why don't you go and sleep in that one? I can come in and share the room if you'd like?"
Bot Taxi and Br'aad saw Hilltree immediately relax, finding comfort in getting to share an unfamiliar space with a very familiar person. "Y-Yeah, alright. Is... Is Sylnan gonna be better tomorrow?"
"Yeah... Yeah, he will. I hope so at least. But if he isn't, we just gotta give him a little more space, right?"
"Right! M'great at that!" Ironically enough, Hilltree said this as he rushed and hugged Br'aad's leg, Br'aad simply patting the top of his head in response. "M'gonna go bed. Are we leavin' Sylnan alone till mornin'?"
"Yeah, I think that'll be for the best. We can check on him when he's up and about though, okay?"
Hilltree just nodded, seeming to internalise and commit Br'aad's plan to memory. With a muttered 'good night', Hilltree marched his way up and towards the spare rooms, leaving Taxi and Br'aad alone once more.
"Hey, you okay?" Taxi's voice was soft, almost somehow softer than before. Br'aad could never tire of it.
"Yeah... Yeah, I'm okay, Taxi. Just tired. S'been a long day, y'know? I uh... I think I wanna leave that cake for Sylnan after we clean up the rest of this place... Are you down to come with me?" Br'aad knew the answer before he even considered asking. But it was still nice to hear Taxi say it.
"Of course. Shouldn't take too long to tidy up, anyway. C'mon." Taxi patted Br'aad's shoulder weakly before getting up, heading towards the few messy plates and cutlery they had yet to clean and put away. Br'aad took a quick second to cut a small slice of cake, putting it on a clean plate and wrapping it in some paper towels in hopes to keep it at least a little fresher. After all, he was unfortunately very confident that Sylnan wouldn't open the door. And he was prepared for that.
Just as Taxi had predicted, it didn't take either of them all that long to clean up, especially since they had thankfully decided to try and clean up as they made their cake and icing. Br'aad took the rest of the Pretty Peculiar Pineapple Cake and put it to the side on the counter, covering it the best he could with a large bowl. He'd try and find some kind of cake cover if he and Taxi got a chance. Making cakes together was going to become a frequent thing, at least if he could help it.
Just under five minutes had passed before Taxi looked to Br'aad expectantly, a familiar expression on his features. A bittersweetness, a hope for a positive outcome. Now that Taxi had admitted to feeling this way before, Br'aad could notice it a lot more. Taking the small piece of wrapped-up cake, Br'aad offered a small smile, trying to reassure both himself and the druid. "It'll be fine, Taxi. And y'know what? It'll be fine even if he's still in a bad mood! I'm deciding now that nothing is gonna take away from the last few hours we've spent baking. Or my good mood. Okay? So... So you gotta swear to that as well. Or it won't work out and we'll all be miserable."
Taxi noted the hint of seriousness behind Br'aad's joking, and he knew that secretly, somewhat naively, he believed what he had said.
"Br'aad. I promise nothing will take away from the last few hours. Okay? I just... I hope the same thing doesn't happen. For your sake."
Br'aad's smile was soft, barely noticeable, but Taxi prided himself on being very vigilant, it came with the anxiety. That and he had been stealing glances at the blonde all night, he was almost confident he had committed every minute detail of his face to memory.
"Me too... But, as I said! This is also for me, so... whatever! M'sure when he gets back to normal a little, he'll tell me how awesome our cake is. And I'll brag all about it to everyone on this stupid ship~" That soft smile broke into a grin, taking his free hand and grabbed Taxi's. "C'mon. Before I pass out." And instead of waiting for any kind of response or answer, other than feeling his hand receive a small squeeze, Br'aad led the both of them to the room Sylnan had locked himself away in.
Stopping in front of the door, Br'aad felt a small hit of anxiety wash over him. The feeling alone made him frustrated more than anything. This was Sylnan. His big brother! No matter what freaky ghost was messing with him, nothing changed that. Taxi must've noticed his hesitance, not that it was particularly subtle, because Br'aad felt a small squeeze once again, making him look up at the tabaxi.
"You alright..?" Taxi's voice was hushed, understandably so. But this seemed to help Br'aad remember the ungodly hour it was, reminding him to be quiet as well.
Br'aad hesitantly pulled his hand from Taxi's, a small hint of regret from the lack of warmth, but he refused to pay much mind to it. "Pft- Y-Yeah, yeah of course I'm alright... just uh... makin' sure this is the room..!" A small few seconds of painfully awkward silence, "...Yup! Definitely the room, hah..."
Taxi just nodded slowly, watching him. It was clear he didn't believe him. Hell, Br'aad didn't even believe himself. Because he was in fact, definitely lying.
"How about you just... leave the cake at the door? Write a note or something for Sylnan to read when he gets up..?"
Br'aad seemed to consider this, pausing for a few moments before sighing. "Yeah... Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Gods this is stupid." Br'aad then handed the cake to Taxi, looking at his belt and pulling a small quill and notebook. It was different from the spell tome that he always carried around. It was considerably scrappier, the edges tattered and... burned? It didn't surprise the tabaxi, but he was definitely impressed at the sheer damage of the cover. Yet as Br'aad opened it for a small scrap of paper to write on, the pages were otherwise undisturbed by the book's beaten exterior. Taxi also caught a note of a few pages that had been used, some words with certain musical notes written roughly above them. Songs. He also noted a bunch of scribbles, from the brief look he was able to have, they looked like sketches? Or at least some kind of doodles... Safe to say, Taxi's curiosity had grown a great deal. But of course, he wouldn't want to invade Br'aad's privacy. So he kept his queries to himself.
Br'aad stopped as soon as he was about to start writing, looking around before shrugging, awkwardly pushing the notebook onto the wall, leaning clumsily against the wall as he used the wall to write against. Taxi watched the graceless display Br'aad gave, all for the sake of writing in a book. So many better solutions came to his mind, but he supposed if this worked for him, he'd let Br'aad do what he needed to.
The two of them stayed there in the hallway, outside Sylnan's room, for what seemed like a good ten minutes. Br'aad wrote a few words before scratching them out. Taxi had been patient. He had allowed Br'aad to do what he felt was necessary, and apparently, that was to lean on the wall uncomfortably as he attempted to both write and keep the book he was writing in to stay steady. Which proved to be very entertaining to watch, but ultimately inefficient.
"Br'aad..?"
"Hang on, Taxi- M'thinkin'-"
Taxi couldn't suppress the sly comment that escaped him. Br'aad was delightful. But he was also fucking stupid. "Yeah, that's what I'm scared of- why don't you just... why don't you sit down against the wall and write that way? I'll even let you lean against me-"
Br'aad stopped, standing up better before turning to face Taxi. "I... Okay no that's fair. I figured this'd be a quick five-second note, but uh... I can't figure out a way to... word things. Gimme a sec-" And, as Taxi had suggested, Br'aad sat on the floor, back against the wall. To make him feel less alone in this, Taxi joined him, sitting beside the half-elf and looking at the multiple scribbles of ink decorating the pages.
"It doesn't have to be fancy... Just say something like... 'Hey! Hope this makes you feel a bit better!' and sign your name?"
In a defeated huff, Br'aad leaned his head against Taxi's shoulder, a frustrated groan coming before his equally frustrated reply, "I just- last time we said anything even hinting at his bad mood, he freaked out..! I feel like everything I try to write will just piss him off more..." Br'aad fell quiet for a few seconds, seeming to still try and come up with something before groaning again. "I hate this."
Taxi put an arm around Br'aad, pulling him a little closer as he rested his head against his. "I know... M'sorry. M-Maybe he doesn't even need a note. Who else would leave a slice of cake at his door other than you? You've already made him a cake before, right? He's not stupid, even with this... weird... what did you say this was? A ghost... demon thing?"
"Somethin' like that..."
"Yeah... Well, my point anyway was that... he'll probably know this is from you. And if it's stressing you out this much, maybe we just leave it here and call it a night? Worst case scenario, he doesn't figure out who left it, and you tell him it was you. That'll start a conversation at least..."
A silence fell between the two, Br'aad taking in and thinking over what Taxi had said. Admittedly, he had a great point. But Taxi was always smart about these kinds of things.
"... I think I lied, Taxi."
Taxi, hearing this, pulled away to look the blonde in the face. When he did, he was met with Br'aad's eyes watering. "Lied about what..?"
"I-I let this ruin my good mood..."
Taxi immediately brought Br'aad to his chest, hugging him closely. "Oh, Br'aad... Don't say that..."
Any extra attempt to comfort the now crying Br'aad was stopped by the sound of a door unlocking, a small creak sounding. Taxi was quick to notice the figure of Sylnan, standing at the door, now looking at Taxi and Br'aad hugging directly opposite him. The noises caused Br'aad to pull away from Taxi, sniffling before looking up, seeing a look of pure concern wash over his older brother's features. The rogue rushed to kneel in front of Br'aad, a hand on his shoulder as he did so. Taxi moved to allow the brothers more room, standing and taking the cake before it was squashed. That was all they needed.
"Br'aad..? Br'aad what's... a-are you okay..?" Sylnan's stopped himself from asking the initial and reactionary question he went to ask Br'aad, knowing damn well what was wrong. Or at least a big part of what was wrong.
Seeing his brother back to his normal self, for now at least, Br'aad couldn't help but grin, wiping at his face lazily before nodding. "Y-Yeah... Yeah, m'okay... Just uh- a-are you okay..? Feeling less... demon possess... ish?" Sylnan only nodded, concern still clear from his features.
"Yeah, I... look, about the party you tried to throw for me, I'm sorry. I didn't... the last thing I want to do is hurt you or make you upset. I-I was able to talk to Katherine... she uh... well, other than telling me things that I've heard a lot before, she helped me through a few things. Advice and stuff..."
"D-Does that mean you're gonna let us help you? Let me help you..?" Br'aad's voice was small, a little shaky from crying, but mostly hopeful. Sylnan saw how much Br'aad wanted to help him, and despite his mind screaming for him to 'protect Br'aad' from these issues, Sylnan swallowed his pride, nodding slowly.
"Yeah. I-I need help with this. A-And I know I can't fix this whole... whatever's happening to me, on my own. M'so sorry for making you so worried, Br'-!" Before he could finish saying his brother's name, Br'aad threw himself at Sylnan, hugging him tightly, to which Sylnan happily returned the embrace. " I can be a little stupid with the whole asking for help thing..."
"Yeah, you suck at that." Despite being muffled, both Taxi and Sylnan could hear Br'aad's comment, accompanied by a small string of chuckles, an amused smile playing on Sylnan's lips.
"Okay, I guess I deserve that..." Managing to pull Br'aad from him, Sylnan checked his brother's face, finding a much happier Br'aad looking back up at him. "You're feeling better..?"
"Yeah, I am. I uh... Oh! Oh shit! This is great timing! Taxi and I were gonna leave this for you to wake up to? And then I panicked about leaving a note because I didn't wanna make you more annoyed- whatever that doesn't matter! But the point is-"
"Br'aad for the love of everything. Take a breath." Taxi was grinning at the rambling blonde. Br'aad took a second to take a pathetic excuse of a breath before continuing, standing up and helping Sylnan to join him.
"Okay okay okay! Anyway! You gotta close your eyes!"
Sylnan hesitated, looking from Br'aad to Taxi, who only shrugged. Sylnan closed his eyes.
A few awkward mutterings and a couple of quiet giggles sounded before silence, Br'aad's voice breaking that by saying.
"Okay, open them..!"
And as Sylnan opened his eyes, he looked to see his beaming little brother holding out a now unwrapped slice of cake. The smell hit him first, the scent of pineapple telling him that Br'aad and Taxi still seemed to be staying on the topic of fruits for their baked goods. Slowly taking the cake, Sylnan now saw the obvious pineapple slices, which probably would've hit him before the scent, but whatever.
"Cake..? But I thought Mountain-"
"Well, Br'aad needed a little pick me up, so we decided to make a cake for him... but he wanted to make sure you had a slice."
"So you wouldn't feel left out if you saw people eating cake, y'know? I-I don't know if you even like pineapples, now that I think about it, but-" Almost to prove a point, Sylnan took a bite of the cake slice, Br'aad watching him intently for any signs of disgust or approval. It was surprisingly pleasant. There was a strange hint of burnt sponge cake, but Sylnan had eaten worse things in his life.
"This is actually pretty good, Br'aad. Great job... I like the decorations, too."
"Hilltree helped out. He uh, well we didn't give you that piece, but he drew a happy face with a big ol' nose, and I just didn't think-"
"... Hiltree drew a dick on your pineapple cake? Hah- You could call it a Penis Pineapple Cake!" Clearly proud of himself, Sylnan continued to chuckle, before getting a sharp jab to his stomach, looking to see a disapproving Br'aad.
"It is not a Penis Pineapple Cake! It's a Pretty Peculiar Pineapple Cake! Right Taxi?!"
Br'aad looked to Taxi, obviously wanting some kind of backup. And of course, Taxi complied. "It is indeed a Pretty Peculiar Pineapple Cake, Br'aad."
...
...
...
"I thought it was a Pretty Peculiar Penis Pineapple Cake! Yous are betrayers!"