Divine Happenstance

"Divine Happenstance" is a BOTGD 2 Act 1 thread written on June 17, 2019.
==Summary==
Dario and Milae approach Vox, who is still devastated after his encounter with Liam, and Dario briefly becomes upset that Vox left him behind, realizing that the source of his tortures and troubles have all occurred due to Vox's absences. Milae quells the fight and the three of them catch up with recent events.
==Full Text==
Vox Arnason: He had never wanted to drink more in his entire life.
Vox had asked Kendra to leave him to his own devices for the evening, more for her sake than his own. His current mindset wasn’t compatible with her typically upbeat, optimistic nature. He knew how badly he had damaged the relationship he had once fostered with Liam, and had no idea how he was going to make things right. If he was going to make things right. The girl his son had been with prior was nowhere to be found, and at this point, Vox was perfectly fine with that.
He wandered the slightly less populous courtyard at a late hour, intentionally avoiding as much social footwork as he could. He needed to isolate himself for a while, just to regroup himself and figure out what exactly the plan was from here. He knew Liam was safe… but now, his son hated him, and he had no recourse to do anything about it.
He took a seat in an empty gazebo, taking a deep sigh and allowing his head to hang in front of him. There weren’t too many days where the man felt like an absolute failure, but he was ready to chalk this day up as one of the worst.
Yun Milae: “–and Chief Grey, at the time, was about to retreat with the rebels for safety, but things grew dangerous at Perch Hall as the dragons attacked, and–”
Milae held up in his rapid explanation, holding out a hoof to stop Dario by his side as the two of them walked back into the village after their emotional outing. He was thrilled to see Vox, but he clearly had a heavy heart and a weight on his mind, and Milae instantly guessed at what had occurred. 
“Dario, look…”
Dario Hjort: The deer moved his attention from his partner to the dimly lit gazebo before them; the sight was almost instantly depressing. A man sat alone in a somber pose that indicated a heavy mind, and even heavier heart.
“Oh gods, Vox…”
He grabbed Milae’s hand, guiding the goat behind him as he slowly made his way closer to his friend. He didn’t want to startle Vox in any way, so he made sure to keep his steps heavy against the cobblestone beneath them.
Vox: I don’t want to talk to you…
I don’t want to talk to you…
The sound of footsteps broke the scout out of his thoughts, even if only for a moment. He turned his attention to the duo that interrupted his internal processing, only to find a pair of familiar faces standing above him.
“…hey, buddy.” Vox stood up, instantly embracing the deer. He needed anybody in his corner right now. “I’m really sorry I didn’t… I meant to tell you I was leaving, honestly I did, but you were so sound asleep. Kendra and I jus-”
He lost his train of thought as his eyes moved behind the deer to the goat half-breed standing just inches away… hand still grasped tightly within Dario’s.
Milae: Milae dipped his head in a half-bow, squeezing Dario’s hand. “Hello, Vox. I know this is not an opportune time, but…I am glad to see you made it to Haligan.” Vox’s expression spoke of confusion, and a host of other emotions that Milae had difficulty parsing, which made him nervous. Vox had always been difficult for him to read.
Vox: Vox, in an forced attempt to be polite, gave a halfhearted nod in Milae’s direction. He remembered the goat. He couldn’t place his name, but he remembered… the feeling he got from their last encounter. It was an uneasy one to put it lightly, and Vox didn’t feel that his emotions had changed all too much in the short time that had passed. The last words the goat parted with… “Here’s to the future!”… instilled him with a constant questioning of his motives.
Why the Hel are they holding hands?…
Dario: Dario watched in near horror as Vox fixated on their hands… he’d forgotten entirely that they had been doing that.
Too late now to turn back.
“Vox, you remember Milae… from before?” He could feel himself shaking. This was the worst. “He’s been… a big help. He saved me, from…”
His throat seized shut, and he inadvertently increased his grip around Milae’s hand. He couldn’t even bring himself to say the name of the hawk to was still trying to take his life.
Milae: “Sylar.”
Milae was not one to waste breath. 
“Sylar attacked and nearly killed Dario as he was attempting to reach the hatchery outside White Hallows. I apologize, I never meant to encourage him beyond safety…I kept the hawk at bay to rectify my mistake. Akkey Black then took us the rest of the way to Haligan.” He kept an eye on Vox, knowing he had planted distrust in the man from the beginning. “I am willing to explain, if you are willing to listen.”
Vox: …fucking Hel, Dario.
“Yeah, no, you’ve got my attention.” He grabbed Dario by the shoulder, looking into his visibly distressed eyes. “Buddy, I am glad you’re safe. I- I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help.”
Dario: The deer gave a feigned smile, not wanting to relive those events again. It reminded him too much of the first time… when Vox left him alone in that forest. The parallels were starting to fall into place, and Dario felt a sudden annoyance building in him.
“It’s fine. Wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last, so long as I’m around.” Dario ushered Milae and Vox to take a seat with him on the bench in the gazebo. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Milae: Milae flicked his ear. He knew that tone.
He perched on the edge of the bench, his hooves barely brushing the ground below him. He wished he had his cloak again; he felt bare and…unmasked in Vox’s presence. “I assume you have questions, Vox, but I would rather we trade a few instead of…well, spoonfeeding you everything. Are you doing alright?”
Vox: “I mean, my son hates me, so there is that. Can’t blame him though, I was gone a while.” Vox looked to Dario, unable to shake the words Liam ingrained in his mind. The boy blamed the deer for many things, and Vox knew it wasn’t his fault for what he was going through. His problems were his own. “So, Sylar is back, and you ran into Akkey… is she here?”
He remembered her so distinctly; like it was yesterday, when they were at the lake. He had lived a lifetime with these companions, and yet knew nothing of their lives present day.
Dario: “Yeah, she’s around”, Dario interjected, “Got us here quick. Things weren’t great before we got here… we came looking for you. Like Milae said, Sylar left after everything that happened, and I don’t know what he knows in terms of us being here.” He took a deep breath, wanting to quell the negative emotions that were slowly growing in him. “I’m glad to hear Liam and Kendra are okay.”
It was eating at him. He couldn’t not ask.
“Vox, why didn’t you tell me you were leaving? I’m not buying that you didn’t tell me because I was asleep. That never stopped you before.”
Milae: “Dario.” The word was barely a breath on Milae’s voice. He had a loose string of thread in his hand and he was fidgeting with it, twisting the end of it between the tough fingers of his hoof, back and forth, unraveling it, twisting it back again. “I already told you why.”
Dario: Dario knew the intentions were good, but Milae’s words grated at him. This was more than just the action at hand.
“I know why you left, Vox. I get it, we all do.” He paused, trying desperately to compose himself. He wasn’t used to feeling angry. “But even just the courtesy of telling me ‘Hey, I’m leaving with Kendra and we might not be back for a while’ would have meant a ton to me.”
He watched the goat fidget next to him, and placed a hand on one of his hooves. Dario felt his throat grow tight and his chest bear more weight than before.
“You left me alone, Vox. I didn’t have anyone back there, and you know our track record… things don’t… go well when you leave.”
Vox: Vox pressed a hand to his forehead, frustrated at the information he was taking in. 
“Damn it, Dario. Not you too.” First Liam, now Dario. Fuck me. “I get that I should have told you. I’m sorry, alright? I don’t think this is our most pressing matter at hand, though.”
He felt awful saying these things; this was his best friend, after all. But with everything happening over the last few days, he couldn’t let that be a priority.
Dario: This was most definitely anger at this point. He’d heard enough.
“No, you’re right. It’s not important at all, let’s just drop it and never bring it up again. You’ve always been good at that.”
Milae: Milae shut his eyes. He was annoyed. Arguing didn’t faze him, but it riled him from his usual tranquil state, and left him unable to focus. It wasn’t the most pressing matter, and they didn’t have time to argue over this. But he could feel Dario’s hurt, it was penetrating and dark, and it made him quiver inside. He instead chose to smooth out his emotions.
“Dario,” he said flatly. “Control yourself while speaking. Vox, that was insincere and not in acknowledgment of his feelings. You may want to try that again if we are to get any farther tonight.”
Vox: Why are we even talking about this?
“Dario, I really do apologize. I just felt like you would… I know you would have wanted to come with us, and I needed to be alone with Kendra.”
He didn’t want Dario mad at him, and he didn’t want to be having this conversation, but he understood where his friend was coming from. 
Dario: Dario wanted nothing more than to tear into this; to yell, to scream until he felt better… but Milae was right. He needed to compose himself.
“You didn’t even tell your wife, Vox. It just seems like you’re operating on your own self-interest and I don’t want to believe that’s true.” He stared at the ground beneath them, not wanting to even look at his friend. “I feel like you owe it to those you care about to at least give them the respect of knowing where you are.”
He was ready to concede. Vox didn’t see things the same way, but they were wasting valuable time.
Vox: “You’re right, Dario. I’m sorry.” He meant it. He was sorry, but things needed to progress. “If you don’t want to talk about the Sylar bit, I get it too. I just want to know what we are up against. It’s not like Liam is talking to me right now, so that’s kind of dead in the water for the time being.”
He turned back to Milae, instantly remembering what he wanted to ask before his scuff with Dario.
“I almost forgot; you two… what’s going on there?”
Milae: Milae glanced at Dario and shrugged. “Mutual romantic attraction? A common affliction for us beings.” Now that the tension in the atmosphere had begun to release, he had a slight twinkle in his eye.
He nudged his elbow into the goat, following it with a hand over his hoof. He knew the comment made his face red, but he didn’t care. “I’ll settle for ‘mutual romantic attraction’. You have such a way with words.”
He looked over to Vox, who was watching with caution. Dario was well aware of the feelings that Vox had about Milae, and he hoped this would quell some of them.
“We, uh, have gotten to know each other… since you left. It just was a natural thing that happened. He’s actually… really sweet, and I think you two would get along really well if you gave it a chance.”
Vox: The scout smiled; he hadn’t seen Dario legitimately happy in many years. This was a welcomed change.
“I’m sure we would. Now, let’s talk about what we’re doing here.” Vox needed to return the conversation to something productive. “Milae, is there anything you know that would be beneficial to us? What’s the plan with everyone here at Haligan?”
Milae: He laughed briefly, but it was a self-conscious sound. “I am sure you already got this impression, but…I know several things of use to everyone. However, no more secrets on my end. Everything is being relayed to the proper leadership. I believe our next move is to begin moving in on the local dungeons. We need numbers, we need support, and we need to begin weakening the dregs of High Central and its claws into the rest of the land.” He fell right back into his analytical rush of thought that he was used to speaking in. “Chief Grey is marshaling our forces on the home front while Lila Ericson takes the offensive. The Rebellion is stirring once again.”
Vox: Vox chucked, thinking back to the group he spent so much time with getting back together again.
“Yeah, I guess we never really looked at the source of the problem, did we?” He continued to inquire to the goat about the present situation. “…and Haddock? Is he here?”
Milae: Milae grimaced. Dammit.
“I’m…I’m sorry, Vox. Haddock was…taken by King Eindride, just last month. He was killed. King Egil sits on the Wilderwest throne now.” He was quiet as he said this. He had dozens of years to process this, in every terrible way the universe could conceive across timelines. Vox and Dario were only learning about this just now. “I am…regretful this did not reach you sooner. But I know what you two were doing. News was slow on the road.”
Vox: Vox hadn’t spoken for about a minute; he understood the words Milae conveyed, and yet, he couldn’t understand. He’d been alive. He remembered their last conversation, the King’s speech to the Rebellion… and he’d already died once. It was disbelief; it was shock.
“I… understand. Thank you, Milae.”
He could feel Dario’s sympathetic gaze upon him. This wasn’t fair – he knew the deer was still upset, but Dario also knew what Haddock meant to him. He couldn’t dwell on this. Not right now.
“So, who’s leading the charge now? I don’t imagine Egil has time for dungeons and dragons… not with our group, anyhow.”
Milae: “Greg and Warren’s daughter Lila is an acting leader as it currently stands. Should you want to report to anyone, report to her.” He paused, as though he had forgotten himself. “Of course, I know you disengaged from the Rebellion for many personal reasons. I m sure Haligan would be glad to have you either way.”
Vox: “I appreciate that.”
He couldn’t shake it. He wanted to speak more, but the only conversation he wanted to have was about Haddock… he wanted answers. How, why… it was swimming around his head and he couldn’t release himself from it’s grip.
“Is… there anything you want to know from me, Milae? I know you said this was a two-way conversation, and I know I haven’t given you much of anything. Not that I really have much to offer you… at least, that I believe would be relevant.”
Milae: “Being as straightforward as possible, which is…difficult…any information I need from you, I have already asked for.” The goat dipped his head. “I know the past well. The future is not so clear to me. What do you plan to do, Vox?”
That’s a loaded question.
“I… I’m not sure, to be quite honest. Dario seems… happy, and I’m glad for you two. If I can get Liam to even talk to me, I’ll consider that a small victory, but it’s been days, and I haven’t heard from him.”
He kept thinking of the pain he felt in his chest after his own son forced him to the ground. He’d never seen his own child so enraged.
Milae: “I serve the Rebellion, and if they need me, so be it. I need to figure out what Kendra intends to do now that we know Liam is safe.”
“I doubt Kendra will leave Liam’s side. And I did hear that Chief Grey is organizing scouting missions to Castaway Dungeon. Your participation would be most welcome.”
Milae blinked and looked past Vox, starting to fall away in thinking of everything he needed to do to prepare. He was a bit put out by how quickly he did so; he wanted to bask in the afterglow of his time with Dario. Why do I do this to myself?
Vox: “Couldn’t hurt. I haven’t done anything like that in… it’s been a long time. Wouldn’t be too bad seeing Grey and the others as well.”
He noticed Dario tenderly playing with one of Milae’s hooves; it warmed him to see his best friend genuinely happy, for what seemed like the first time in ages.
“…and you, Dario? What are you planning to do from here?”
Dario: The question caught him off guard; Dario had been so engrossed in focus on Milae that he nearly forgot there had been a conversation occurring.
“I- oh, I’m not too sure, actually. Definitely laying low right now, with Sylar and all… but I don’t think we need to be too worried about that at the moment.” He wanted to shift the subject so badly after that last sentence. “I think it’ll be good for you to get back at it. I’m… probably just going to stay with Milae, and help him with whatever he needs.”
Milae: Milae glanced over at his sweet partner and his ears flicked back and forth as a thought occurred to him with Dario’s words. “Yes…I may…want to discuss that, in a bit.” He was just a bit too late in hiding a yawn behind his wrist. “Perhaps we should meet with Lila tomorrow and see what the Rebellion needs.”
Vox: Vox caught the goat’s outward displays of fatigue. It was getting late, after all.
“I don’t want to keep the two of you too long, and it sounds like you both have some things to discuss. I need to take care of some things tomorrow, so I’m going to retire a little early.”
He looked to Dario, wishing the conversation had gone differently, but there wasn’t anything to do about it now.
“Let me know if you need anything, alright, buddy? I’m here if you need me.”
He watched the deer nod to him as he stood, and that was good enough for him. Vox exited the gazebo with more information that he was prepared for, and had plenty to think about.
Category:BOTGD 2
Category:Events
Category:Act I
Category:Yun Milae
Category:Dario Hjort
Category:Vox Arnason