Oh boy. To quote our lord Taliesin, 'this is gonna be a little weird'. I don't usually do RPF but this cast is so lovely and have so much chemistry that I got a little shOOK(TM) tbh, and yknow, at the end of the day as long as we keep our fantasies to ourselves then we can allow ourselves some. As treat. So anyway, this is a combination of three prompts (this one for post- Dalen's Closet, another about character bleed, nd another for Keyleth/Vax rp sexytimesTM -- which, I shall be honest, I only kinda filled it just a little) and also the smut is the shortest part of this bc I got waaay into everything else, but hopefully that's enjoyable regardless!! Sorry for any silly mistakes n stuff.
Tags: Major Character Death, Afterlife, Angst, Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crying, Whump i guess!, Everyone's poly, a little bit of Poly Negotiation, Soft Gentle Dom Matt vibes, Character Bleed, Roleplay, Love, Kissing, Fingering, Riding, and ofc Cuddles!!!
fell in love with the fire long ago [Marisha/Liam, Marisha/Liam/Matt]
It’s been a while.
In the weeks following Dalen’s Closet, Marisha hugged Liam a fair amount and more often than usual and he furiously texted a happily mischievous looking Sam – whether to thank or curse at him was unbeknownst to everyone. (It was probably both.)
As far as stories went, it was understood by all that Keyleth and Vax’ildan’s was tragically beautiful because that’s par for the course of legendary love. But it didn’t feel like closure, that brief moment at Percy and Vex’s wedding. If anything, it made things muddy, and whatever wound that was still open felt pulled taut, still hurting.
It’s not entirely unusual for character bleeding to happen in this game, and that’s not entirely a bad thing. They are not just fantasy people, they are a part of them and human emotion is truly felt, especially in the intense moments. So it’s only too obvious those weeks later that although everyone else was satisfied with that one last moment with Vax, both Marisha and Liam remained shaken.
Then, it made perfect sense for Matt to arrange that they both talk it out to, at the very least, get closure enough to be able to move on. As much as it was possible, anyway.
Liam arrives shortly before Marisha, who was tricked into having a chill spa day with Laura so that Matt could have the house to himself to prepare it.
The corridor that leads to the offices and guest rooms is hidden, the entrance covered with a thick blanket.
“What have you been up to?” Marisha asks, a soft suspicious grin on her face.
“I have a surprise for you both,” is all Matt says, rubbing his palms together in excitement.
Liam snorts, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Oh, we’re in trouble.”
They follow Matt through the house as he reveals it like a maze of his own creation. He pulls the blanket that’s in the way aside, and although the corridor isn’t much different, Marisha sighs.
“Aw, man,” murmurs Liam, watching the flickering of the light from the numerous candles. They’re not lit up by real flames lest it’d be a fire hazard (and Matt sure is good at handling those), but the soft glow it casts over everything from here on out provides the same comfort. The thermostat takes care of the warmth.
“Well this is just for flair,” shrugs Matt, biting down a smile as he moves along until stopping in front of one of the rooms.
"Ta-da!" He opens the door to what is a radically transformed space. What once was the extra, rarely used office, is an ode to nature, life and death. Hanging from the ceiling are faux tree branches and vines, the room brimming with strings of pearls, ferns and beautiful flowers scattered on the floor, inside white vases, wrapped around black feathers atop the makeshift dark cabin in one corner, the black sheets and blankets made of the softest of fabrics. The path of candles coming from the corridor ends close to the door then spreads all around the room to light it in that same comforting dull yellow glow, making the greenery look lively. The carpet on the corner is extra fluffy, and Liam takes off his socks to feel it.
Marisha squeezes his and Matt’s hands tightly, visibly swallowing.
“I figured you guys needed somewhere special to talk,” Matt says, a blush creeping up his face. “So.”
“I love it,” Marisha says, still looking around and taking the environment in. She chokes up, but her smile is wide. “Keyleth would approve.”
Liam squeezes her hand back, and with a deep sigh fixes his gaze on Matt. “This is amazing.”
Matt shrugs. “It’s nothin’.”
“No,” shunts Liam in earnest, eyes gleaming. “This is a lot. It’s wonderful.”
Matt nods, smiling softly. “Well then, I’ll leave you to it.”
Immediately there’s looks of surprise and confusion, and he gets pulled back before he can take so much as a step away.
“What?” asks Marisha.
“Why?” asks Liam simultaneously.
“Guys, I’m not gonna DM this conversation,” he chuckles.
Liam tsks. “That’s silly.” There’s a pause. He grins. “You’re totally going to do exactly that.”
“We kind of need you here, I think.”
Matt frowns, puts a strand of hair behind his ear. “You.. This is a moment for you to, y’know, get some closure, figure out what happens, decide a true epilogue that would make you happy. It can be written down now or later, but you gotta talk it out and I don’t–”
“You need to be here,” states Marisha, with a finality to it. “We’ve kind of been… Trying to gather up the courage, but we got sidetracked by life and distracted and honestly? Been avoiding even bringing up the subject.”
“We’ve not been ignoring each other’s texts,” adds Liam. “But we’ve also not not ignored each other’s texts.” Matt blinks. “Jesus.”
“Yeah. We need you here, man.”
“You keep us grounded and you can make sure we don’t, y’know,” she clears her throat, awkwardly. “Break.”
“Yourselves or canon?”
She snorts, looks back and forth between the two men beside her. “Both. Probably, yeah, both.”
Matt nods. “Well, only one of those I’m precious about.” He winks. They all let out a breath as Matt gives in. “Alright. What do you want me to do?”
. . .
Facing each other, Liam and Marisha listen as Matt sets the scene. They’re all sitting down in a cluster, but the two are underneath the blankets, partially covered under inside the pillow fort. There are extra blankets and sheets, and a set of those fake candles placed by them.
Matt had waited as they shook themselves, arms flailing, then rubbed their faces and took several deep breaths before finally telling him they were ready. He began laying down some possible ground rules, asking them questions, and offering some advice. They didn’t need to improv anything, he made sure to point out, even though it was highly unlikely that they wouldn’t, as it was second nature. It didn’t need to be anything other than a conversation, it didn’t need to be perfect, and they could change their minds later down the road. This was for them, a way to decide what was the end of Keyleth’s and Vax’ildan’s story before the outside world came crashing in and had any say about it.
Matt asks what happened after the wedding, when Vax returned to the grasp of the Queen of Death. They mention the visiting ravens, and raven tree, and Keyleth’s mourning process. Marisha swallows hard and admits with a scowl, as if she wanted to scold herself for even feeling it, “I think she felt jealous of Vex for a little while. Not of her happiness, though probably there was a little bit of that at first, but mostly of being able to close that chapter and,” she breathes out heavily. “Live most of the life she wanted.”
Liam only listens, nodding her along with a supportive caress of the hand here and there.
“I think there were moments after that when she would still feel insecure and have these… Intrusive thoughts about being a leader, about duty and being bound to something greater. And… I think she was lonely. Maybe, hopefully, not always and not forever, but.”
“At the very least,” Matt offers. “She was never alone. Her chosen family would keep her company and look after her, just as she would look after them.”
“Yeah,” she smiles sadly. “It’s just that she wanted the one company she couldn’t have.”
A moment of silence passes.
“What was the rest of her life like?” prods Matt, his voice as gentle and as kind as a summer breeze.
“Kicking a lot of ass, of course,” she answers. “Just, a lot of boss bitch ass kicking.”
Liam chuckles. “Yup, sounds about right,” he says, after not uttering a single word for a while now.
“And,” Marisha continues. “Besides that, just…The obvious, I guess. She is a great leader to her people and a great protector and– Yeah. I dunno.”
“Does Keyleth of the Air Ashari, Voice of the Tempest, Vox Machina alumnae, have a happy life?” Another pause. Marisha closes her eyes for a brief second then nods. When she opens them again and speaks, her voice cracks, “Yeah.”
Matt rubs circles on her back as he narrates a summary of Keyleth’s extended lifespan, the adventures she went on, the issues she helped solve, the people she saved, the new friends she made along the way, the power and the love that grew exponentially inside her as time passed by.
“No marriage or– kids or–?” wonders Liam, once the room falls silent once more.
Marisha’s gaze meet his, her eyes unable to hold off tears any longer. “You weren’t there to have them with me.”
He closes his eyes and sighs, as if he knew the answer but still hits him with a wave of emotion to hear it out loud regardless.
Matt straights up his back once again and turns to him, focused and on task. “Besides doing the Raven Queen’s bidding, what does Vax spend the rest of his days doing?”
Liam keeps his gaze trained on Marisha’s face, and lifts up his free hand to wipe away another tear spilling from her eye. When he speaks, it’s in Vax’s voice and it sends a shudder through her spine.
“Waiting, of course.”
She leans into his hand, now holding the side of her jaw.
Everything goes quiet for another moment until Matt intervenes again, gladly steering them as needed. “So,” he says. “After a long, well-lived life of important deeds, of strong, though always kind, leadership, of fun shenanigans and healing, Keyleth of the Air Ashari walks into the raven tree she cultivated for years and years, shedding her material form and her duties as Voice of the Tempest. At her wake, her life is celebrated, and at the other side of that tree a dark figure awaits. To welcome her.”
Marisha chuckles a little. “This is so trippy.”
“Do you want to take a break or to stop?” asks Matt, hand still on her back.
“No,” she replies right away, sniffing. “God, no.”
“‘Kay. Let me know, yeah? Just say the word.”
She hums, nods. “Uh, ahem,” she clears her throat. “Is it– Is it him?”
Liam gives her a sarcastic look. Then, back into character, he says, “I run to her, ready to scoop her up in my arms but stopping myself at the last second.”
She smiles.
“Vax.”
He smiles back.
“Hi, my love.”
“I’m going to… Hug him as tight as I possibly can. For as long as I possibly can.”
They all sigh loudly, relief washing over them but only for a second.
“I pull back,” she says. “Are you gonna be the one to take me to where I’m supposed to go?”
He tenses up, heartbreak all over his face all over again. “If that is what you wish. I was hoping, however, that you would stay with me.”
“Oh,” she perks up, looking at Matt with furrowed eyebrows. “I can do that? Wait, can I do that?”
Matt leans back, nods in approval.
Taken aback, Marisha blinks, the tears subsiding briefly although her eyes have begun to look puffy and the crying is probably far from over. “W-what about– Is that allowed– Are you sure? I thought we would meet again for the real last time and I’d be sent to druid heaven or whatever.”
“You don’t have to,” Liam says, in Vax’s voice.
“Yes, I– Okay, yes, I want to be with you.”
As the surprise overtakes her for a few seconds, Matt jumps in again.
“You’re not… "He stares into the distance, collecting his thoughts. "It's tricky. Let's just say, you're not yet in the "main" space that is the Raven Queen's domain. To one side of you, there’s an endless sunny sky, with some clouds and lots of rainbows over a deep blue ocean. To the other side, there’s an endless night, with thousands and thousands of bright stars and an endlessly blooming garden. Vax guides Keyleth through the plains, and through hills and secret passages until you reach a homestead. A place where you can both talk and… Stay for as long as you need.”
They take a deep breath.
“Are you going to show me your home?”
“Well, I don’t have a mirror to give you, but I can show you where I have been living.”
Matt puts his hands on his chest like he expected his heart to bust out at that. Then his hands return to the small of Marisha's back and over Liam's knee.
“I will show around the house,” Vax continues. “There’s clearly vacant spaces, a lack of some decoration and furniture. I have been waiting for your input.”
“I’ll make flowers grow everywhere.”
He smiles. “I have a gift for you as well.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t bring you anything. Although I don’t know if I would be able to.”
“That’s the thing with death, isn’t it? You can’t bring anything other than yourself.”
“Yeah, it’s just me.”
His thumb caresses her cheek. “How lucky I am.”
“I can’t believe we’re here, together,” she whispers.
“I will lead you to the backyard,” he says. “It’s the brightest, most beautiful place around. There, there is a tree in a really colorful garden. A very tall tree, with lots of branches and foliage. It is… full of life. I’ll say, I have been tending this tree for as long as I have been here. I’ve been waiting for you ever since that first day.”
Marisha leans forward, forehead to forehead. It takes a moment for her to wrap her arms around him, pull him closer and closer. She smiles through the tears.
Re: Liam/Marisha, Dalen's Closet
Tags: Major Character Death, Afterlife, Angst, Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crying, Whump i guess!, Everyone's poly, a little bit of Poly Negotiation, Soft Gentle Dom Matt vibes, Character Bleed, Roleplay, Love, Kissing, Fingering, Riding, and ofc Cuddles!!!
fell in love with the fire long ago [Marisha/Liam, Marisha/Liam/Matt]
It’s been a while.
In the weeks following Dalen’s Closet, Marisha hugged Liam a fair amount and more often than usual and he furiously texted a happily mischievous looking Sam – whether to thank or curse at him was unbeknownst to everyone. (It was probably both.)
As far as stories went, it was understood by all that Keyleth and Vax’ildan’s was tragically beautiful because that’s par for the course of legendary love. But it didn’t feel like closure, that brief moment at Percy and Vex’s wedding. If anything, it made things muddy, and whatever wound that was still open felt pulled taut, still hurting.
It’s not entirely unusual for character bleeding to happen in this game, and that’s not entirely a bad thing. They are not just fantasy people, they are a part of them and human emotion is truly felt, especially in the intense moments. So it’s only too obvious those weeks later that although everyone else was satisfied with that one last moment with Vax, both Marisha and Liam remained shaken.
Then, it made perfect sense for Matt to arrange that they both talk it out to, at the very least, get closure enough to be able to move on. As much as it was possible, anyway.
Liam arrives shortly before Marisha, who was tricked into having a chill spa day with Laura so that Matt could have the house to himself to prepare it.
The corridor that leads to the offices and guest rooms is hidden, the entrance covered with a thick blanket.
“What have you been up to?” Marisha asks, a soft suspicious grin on her face.
“I have a surprise for you both,” is all Matt says, rubbing his palms together in excitement.
Liam snorts, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Oh, we’re in trouble.”
They follow Matt through the house as he reveals it like a maze of his own creation. He pulls the blanket that’s in the way aside, and although the corridor isn’t much different, Marisha sighs.
“Aw, man,” murmurs Liam, watching the flickering of the light from the numerous candles. They’re not lit up by real flames lest it’d be a fire hazard (and Matt sure is good at handling those), but the soft glow it casts over everything from here on out provides the same comfort. The thermostat takes care of the warmth.
Marisha caresses Matt’s arm, holds onto Liam’s hand. “This is nice.”
“Well this is just for flair,” shrugs Matt, biting down a smile as he moves along until stopping in front of one of the rooms.
"Ta-da!"
He opens the door to what is a radically transformed space. What once was the extra, rarely used office, is an ode to nature, life and death. Hanging from the ceiling are faux tree branches and vines, the room brimming with strings of pearls, ferns and beautiful flowers scattered on the floor, inside white vases, wrapped around black feathers atop the makeshift dark cabin in one corner, the black sheets and blankets made of the softest of fabrics. The path of candles coming from the corridor ends close to the door then spreads all around the room to light it in that same comforting dull yellow glow, making the greenery look lively. The carpet on the corner is extra fluffy, and Liam takes off his socks to feel it.
Marisha squeezes his and Matt’s hands tightly, visibly swallowing.
“I figured you guys needed somewhere special to talk,” Matt says, a blush creeping up his face. “So.”
“I love it,” Marisha says, still looking around and taking the environment in. She chokes up, but her smile is wide. “Keyleth would approve.”
Liam squeezes her hand back, and with a deep sigh fixes his gaze on Matt. “This is amazing.”
Matt shrugs. “It’s nothin’.”
“No,” shunts Liam in earnest, eyes gleaming. “This is a lot. It’s wonderful.”
Matt nods, smiling softly. “Well then, I’ll leave you to it.”
Immediately there’s looks of surprise and confusion, and he gets pulled back before he can take so much as a step away.
“What?” asks Marisha.
“Why?” asks Liam simultaneously.
“Guys, I’m not gonna DM this conversation,” he chuckles.
Liam tsks. “That’s silly.” There’s a pause. He grins. “You’re totally going to do exactly that.”
“We kind of need you here, I think.”
Matt frowns, puts a strand of hair behind his ear. “You.. This is a moment for you to, y’know, get some closure, figure out what happens, decide a true epilogue that would make you happy. It can be written down now or later, but you gotta talk it out and I don’t–”
“You need to be here,” states Marisha, with a finality to it. “We’ve kind of been… Trying to gather up the courage, but we got sidetracked by life and distracted and honestly? Been avoiding even bringing up the subject.”
“We’ve not been ignoring each other’s texts,” adds Liam. “But we’ve also not not ignored each other’s texts.”
Matt blinks. “Jesus.”
“Yeah. We need you here, man.”
“You keep us grounded and you can make sure we don’t, y’know,” she clears her throat, awkwardly. “Break.”
“Yourselves or canon?”
She snorts, looks back and forth between the two men beside her. “Both. Probably, yeah, both.”
Matt nods. “Well, only one of those I’m precious about.” He winks.
They all let out a breath as Matt gives in. “Alright. What do you want me to do?”
. . .
Facing each other, Liam and Marisha listen as Matt sets the scene. They’re all sitting down in a cluster, but the two are underneath the blankets, partially covered under inside the pillow fort. There are extra blankets and sheets, and a set of those fake candles placed by them.
Matt had waited as they shook themselves, arms flailing, then rubbed their faces and took several deep breaths before finally telling him they were ready. He began laying down some possible ground rules, asking them questions, and offering some advice. They didn’t need to improv anything, he made sure to point out, even though it was highly unlikely that they wouldn’t, as it was second nature. It didn’t need to be anything other than a conversation, it didn’t need to be perfect, and they could change their minds later down the road. This was for them, a way to decide what was the end of Keyleth’s and Vax’ildan’s story before the outside world came crashing in and had any say about it.
Matt asks what happened after the wedding, when Vax returned to the grasp of the Queen of Death. They mention the visiting ravens, and raven tree, and Keyleth’s mourning process. Marisha swallows hard and admits with a scowl, as if she wanted to scold herself for even feeling it, “I think she felt jealous of Vex for a little while. Not of her happiness, though probably there was a little bit of that at first, but mostly of being able to close that chapter and,” she breathes out heavily. “Live most of the life she wanted.”
Liam only listens, nodding her along with a supportive caress of the hand here and there.
“I think there were moments after that when she would still feel insecure and have these… Intrusive thoughts about being a leader, about duty and being bound to something greater. And… I think she was lonely. Maybe, hopefully, not always and not forever, but.”
“At the very least,” Matt offers. “She was never alone. Her chosen family would keep her company and look after her, just as she would look after them.”
“Yeah,” she smiles sadly. “It’s just that she wanted the one company she couldn’t have.”
A moment of silence passes.
“What was the rest of her life like?” prods Matt, his voice as gentle and as kind as a summer breeze.
“Kicking a lot of ass, of course,” she answers. “Just, a lot of boss bitch ass kicking.”
Liam chuckles. “Yup, sounds about right,” he says, after not uttering a single word for a while now.
“And,” Marisha continues. “Besides that, just…The obvious, I guess. She is a great leader to her people and a great protector and– Yeah. I dunno.”
“Does Keyleth of the Air Ashari, Voice of the Tempest, Vox Machina alumnae, have a happy life?”
Another pause. Marisha closes her eyes for a brief second then nods. When she opens them again and speaks, her voice cracks, “Yeah.”
Matt rubs circles on her back as he narrates a summary of Keyleth’s extended lifespan, the adventures she went on, the issues she helped solve, the people she saved, the new friends she made along the way, the power and the love that grew exponentially inside her as time passed by.
“No marriage or– kids or–?” wonders Liam, once the room falls silent once more.
Marisha’s gaze meet his, her eyes unable to hold off tears any longer. “You weren’t there to have them with me.”
He closes his eyes and sighs, as if he knew the answer but still hits him with a wave of emotion to hear it out loud regardless.
Matt straights up his back once again and turns to him, focused and on task. “Besides doing the Raven Queen’s bidding, what does Vax spend the rest of his days doing?”
Liam keeps his gaze trained on Marisha’s face, and lifts up his free hand to wipe away another tear spilling from her eye. When he speaks, it’s in Vax’s voice and it sends a shudder through her spine.
“Waiting, of course.”
She leans into his hand, now holding the side of her jaw.
Everything goes quiet for another moment until Matt intervenes again, gladly steering them as needed. “So,” he says. “After a long, well-lived life of important deeds, of strong, though always kind, leadership, of fun shenanigans and healing, Keyleth of the Air Ashari walks into the raven tree she cultivated for years and years, shedding her material form and her duties as Voice of the Tempest. At her wake, her life is celebrated, and at the other side of that tree a dark figure awaits. To welcome her.”
Marisha chuckles a little. “This is so trippy.”
“Do you want to take a break or to stop?” asks Matt, hand still on her back.
“No,” she replies right away, sniffing. “God, no.”
“‘Kay. Let me know, yeah? Just say the word.”
She hums, nods. “Uh, ahem,” she clears her throat. “Is it– Is it him?”
Liam gives her a sarcastic look. Then, back into character, he says, “I run to her, ready to scoop her up in my arms but stopping myself at the last second.”
She smiles.
“Vax.”
He smiles back.
“Hi, my love.”
“I’m going to… Hug him as tight as I possibly can. For as long as I possibly can.”
They all sigh loudly, relief washing over them but only for a second.
“I pull back,” she says. “Are you gonna be the one to take me to where I’m supposed to go?”
He tenses up, heartbreak all over his face all over again. “If that is what you wish. I was hoping, however, that you would stay with me.”
“Oh,” she perks up, looking at Matt with furrowed eyebrows. “I can do that? Wait, can I do that?”
Matt leans back, nods in approval.
Taken aback, Marisha blinks, the tears subsiding briefly although her eyes have begun to look puffy and the crying is probably far from over. “W-what about– Is that allowed– Are you sure? I thought we would meet again for the real last time and I’d be sent to druid heaven or whatever.”
“You don’t have to,” Liam says, in Vax’s voice.
“Yes, I– Okay, yes, I want to be with you.”
As the surprise overtakes her for a few seconds, Matt jumps in again.
“You’re not… "He stares into the distance, collecting his thoughts. "It's tricky. Let's just say, you're not yet in the "main" space that is the Raven Queen's domain. To one side of you, there’s an endless sunny sky, with some clouds and lots of rainbows over a deep blue ocean. To the other side, there’s an endless night, with thousands and thousands of bright stars and an endlessly blooming garden. Vax guides Keyleth through the plains, and through hills and secret passages until you reach a homestead. A place where you can both talk and… Stay for as long as you need.”
They take a deep breath.
“Are you going to show me your home?”
“Well, I don’t have a mirror to give you, but I can show you where I have been living.”
Matt puts his hands on his chest like he expected his heart to bust out at that. Then his hands return to the small of Marisha's back and over Liam's knee.
“I will show around the house,” Vax continues. “There’s clearly vacant spaces, a lack of some decoration and furniture. I have been waiting for your input.”
“I’ll make flowers grow everywhere.”
He smiles. “I have a gift for you as well.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t bring you anything. Although I don’t know if I would be able to.”
“That’s the thing with death, isn’t it? You can’t bring anything other than yourself.”
“Yeah, it’s just me.”
His thumb caresses her cheek. “How lucky I am.”
“I can’t believe we’re here, together,” she whispers.
“I will lead you to the backyard,” he says. “It’s the brightest, most beautiful place around. There, there is a tree in a really colorful garden. A very tall tree, with lots of branches and foliage. It is… full of life. I’ll say, I have been tending this tree for as long as I have been here. I’ve been waiting for you ever since that first day.”
Marisha leans forward, forehead to forehead. It takes a moment for her to wrap her arms around him, pull him closer and closer. She smiles through the tears.
“I missed you so much.”
[part I]