Work Text:
"You are a curse upon this family!"
The vex's ears pulled back against their head as their mother shouted, unable to process a word she said. Everything was too loud in that moment. They stumbled backward at those words; their father affectionately snaked an arm around their mother's waist the way they'd seen lovers do all their life. Why did it bring them so much grief?
Their brother called their name, gripping desperately at their sleeves. Betrix felt their breath get caught in their throat as they met the younger vex's tear-filled eyes. They opened their mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
Betrix shook their head, pulling back and rushing to the door. Their brother followed, still pleading with them to stay despite their parents' wishes. Their sisters watched blankly, not wishing to step in and risk upsetting their parents further.
Betrix felt the urge to cry as they crossed the threshold of the door, their brother Rudolph still following closely behind. He grabbed their arm once moor, and Betrix turned to him, seeing their mother and father standing in the doorway.
"Please..." He tried, continuing to speak. Betrix looked around frantically; they felt hot all over, their ears were ringing, and their chest heaved from how heavy they were breathing.
"Rudolph, please," Betrix started, their voice strained. Tears pricked at their eyes, but they refused to cry.
Rudolph sobbed, burying his head in Betrix's chest, clutching his shirt as though it was all he had. The vex stared blankly as their sibling cried, their eyes wide.
They couldn't recall what they'd told Rudolph, just that, eventually, he was in their sister's arms, and Betrix was miles away before they knew it.
They walked until their body gave out, and then they allowed themself to collapse on the soft forest floor. Betrix's mind replayed the events of the night over and over in their head as they, with difficulty, succumbed to unconsciousness.
They had nightmares all night.
They awoke to the morning birds singing a song of forgiveness and continued their trek onwards. Their mind was fuzzy, and they could barely think; they just knew they needed to keep moving.
After several hours of walking, they heard rustling in the bushes. Their ears perked up, and they looked around on alert. Instead of a wild animal or beast like they expected, a human emerged from the bushes, looking at Betrix thoroughly confused, with a sword at their hip, sheathed in a fine, leather holster.
Betrix eyed the sword, and the stranger met the gaze, gripping the handle gently.
"Ah, I'm sorry for the fright," They spoke softly, their voice melodic and smooth. Betrix listened intently, entranced by the slightest of words from the stranger.
"I was foraging for my village..." They continued, beginning to unsheathe the sword; it should have read as "danger" for Betrix, but they were so focused on listening to the stranger; they were so entranced.
"This is just for defense, see?" The stranger finished, drawing the sword, swinging at a patch of tall grass.
Betrix's tail flicked eagerly, watching the stranger sheathe the sword once more before approaching. This action seemed to snap Betrix out of their trance, and they took a step back.
The stranger halted, opting to talk to Betrix upon seeing this reaction.
"What're you doing out here?" They asked awkwardly.
Betrix felt their face heat up. They waved their hand vaguely, looking away from the sword-wielding stranger.
"Explorin'," Betrix lied.
The stranger smiled, and Betrix melted. The sun was setting, but they could still make out the stranger's features vaguely. They had short, black, curly hair, with russet-brown skin, and a puffy-sleeved, green shirt; Betrix's tail flicked as they continued to stare at the stranger.
"Where're you headed? The sun's setting soon..." The stranger questioned, taking a concerned tone of voice. "If you need a place to stay for the night, I'd be happy to take you to my village." They offered, flashing another warm smile.
Betrix felt their wings grow weak.
"Uuh, alright," Betrix stumbled, feeling a grin creeping up their face.
As they began following the stranger, both fell silent, tail flicking behind Betrix idly, their thoughts wandered; back to their nightmares, back to their family. Betrix felt a stitch in their chest as the memory bubbled to the forefront of their mind once again.
Everything went so fast. Things had been tense for a while, but why did it happen so suddenly? Why did it happen like that?
"You are a curse on this family,"
That's all they could recall.
Betrix's chest ached at the memories; they did everything in their power to control their breathing. Why was everything going so slowly now?
"Oh, I never asked!" The stranger finally spoke, craning their head ever so slightly to indicate they were listening to the vex.
Betrix tried to mask they were on the verge of another panic attack, shooting a weak grin.
"What is your name? I don't think I've met a vex before- Er, you are a vex, right?" They asked before laughing at their assumption. Betrix felt their cheeks heat up at that. "I'm Ioelis." They introduced.
"Er- Yeah, I am..." Betrix coughed, clearing their throat. "My name's uh, Betrix." They added, cringing as they heard their voice raise an alto.
Gods, this is worse than their crush on that girl from the school gardens.
***
The rest of the walk was mostly silent, a comfortable silence. Upon arriving at the village, Ioelis welcomed them and introduced Betrix to their friends; they couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
Betrix was thankful for how late it was in retrospect; they could pretend to be exhausted, which seemed to get Ioelis's attention, and they showed Betrix where they'd be staying for the night, putting an end to the conversation.
"So... Where are you coming from?" Ioelis questioned as they moved away from the others. They lead Betrix to a small cottage, passing under an archway leading to the door.
"Home," Betrix answered calmly, half focused on the purple flowers.
Betrix reached out for the purple buds, grabbing Ioelis's attention.
"Ah, they're called morning glory, only bloom in the morning, though," Ioelis explained, gently tapping one of the flower buds.
Betrix's tail flicked happily, and they nodded, continuing to follow Ioelis.
The cottage was warm when Betrix entered, and they felt their wings go slack. Ioelis murmured to themself for a moment, hanging their sword before turning back to Betrix.
"I don't know that much about vexes," Ioelis admits, rubbing their neck anxiously. "Is this temperature okay? I can always wear a jacket while you're here, but you..." They continued, laughing.
Betrix nodded, realizing how tired they were in an instant. This place was warm and safe, and they wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep.
"I'm alright," Betrix began, speaking slow to mask their low, melodic purring. "I'm just tired," They swayed on their feet, and Ioelis must have noticed.
"I was going to make dinner, but if you wanted to rest, that's alright!" Ioelis reassured, taking a step closer in case Betrix fell.
Betrix nodded, Ioelis realizing they were too tired to speak. They took Betrix's hand, leading them to the guest room. Betrix fell asleep as soon as Ioelis started guiding them.
Once Ioelis was assured the vex was safely asleep in bed, they left to make dinner.
***