#adventures in revethification

[Image description: A black and white comic titledAdventures in Re-Veth-ification: It’s Been A While. Luc Brenatto, a white passing 20 year old halfling with a curly dark ponytail and short beard, a loose fitting shirt, and a button earing, is sitting in the kitchen of the Xhorhaus with Beau Lionet, a scarred asian woman with short hair who still looks in her twenties despite being much older.

 In the background Fjord, an older half-orc with graying hair and beard, both loosely tied into tails, is pouring himself a cup of tea while Caduceus Clay, a firbold with a long mohawk piled into an updo, chops vegetables at a counter.  

“…And that’s when she shot me in the ass,”  says Beau, smirking.

“Holy shit,” Luc replies. “That’s pretty crazy.”

“Heh, c'mon kid, you know your mom.” Beau says. She makes a dismissive gesture, “Though she was still a goblin at that point. She calmed down a bit after she changed back”

Luc stares at Beau, confused. “When she… sorry what?”

“When Caleb turned her back into a halfling?” She says. She smiles a little awkwardly. In the background, Caduceus stops chopping to look at them, concerned. “… After we lifted the curse?” Beau continues. 

Luc just looks baffled, bordering on alarmed, “Lifted the- Mom got cursed!? When the fuck did that happen?” He says

Beau, Fjord, and Caduceus all freeze, looking at Luc with pained and awkward expressions as he waits for them to answer his question. 

Fjord breaks the silence first. “Well, this will be terrible,” he deadpans “I’ll get Veth.”

“I’ll make more tea,” says Caduceus. 

“I’ll be real with you-” says Beau, putting her hand on Luc’s shoulder. “This conversation is gonna suck balls.”

A short jump in time later, Luc is sitting with his head in his hands, yelling a long drawn out “Aaah” while his mother Veth, a chubby halfling woman with partially braided hair and facial tattoos, tries to comfort him. 

“… you were just so young, Luc, and it was confusing enough with me just showing up again and I was so worried I would scare you- I was scary! And you were so young-” she rambles. Fjord and Beau are beside them, with Beau leaning on the back of Luc’s chair and Fjord gesturing emphatically by Veth. 

“I mean, you knew she didn’t come home right away, what did you think she was doing when she was Nott? Why’d you think we calledher that?” Fjord says.

Luc slams his hands down on the table. “I wasfive I thought fuck all!” he shouts. “ And even if I had thought about it I wouldn’t have gotten to ‘goblin curse’ from 'Nott the Brave’ because that’s fucking insane! That’s like expecting me to get to 'Ex-Wizard Assassin’ from 'Caleb’!”

“Wait, you know about the wizard assassins?” says Veth. Beau looks at him from over the back of the chair. 

“Damn, how’d you get to wizard assassins before goblin curses?” She says. 

“I don’t fucking know, Beau!” Luc yells. Caduceus takes Veth’s empty tea cup without comment. 

Veth puts her arm around her son. “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry,” she says. “If it means anything, it’s not just you I kept it from- It took months to tell the Nein. Hell, I didn’t tell you’re father everything until…” She trails off, a look of realization creeping over her face. “Until, uh….”

Veth suddenly hops down from the table and rushes off, speaking so fast her words slur together “Fuck, okay, hang on a second i'm gonna go get him-” 

Many cups of tea later, Yeza, a halfling man who looks like an older version of Luc with no beard and large glasses, and the rest of the Mighty Nein have joined the others in the kitchen. The Brenattos are all at the table- Yeza and Luc are staring off into space, while Veth has both hands on the table ans is looking to the two of them with a slightly manic expression. Beau is still leaning against Luc’s chair, now with a cup of tea in hand. Fjord is sitting with Jester, a middle aged tiefling with short dark hair and one broken horn, on the counter eating sandwiches. 

Yasha, a middle aged aasimar with white hair braided with flowers and an eyepatch, sits on the far end of the counter, straining to see over the people closer to the table, namely Caduceus, who is pouring more tea to add to the plethora of mugs now littering the table, and Caleb, a middle aged human with glasses and long hair in a side ponytail, who is standing behind Veth with his hands on her shoulders. 

“And that’s everything!” Veth shouts, far to excitedly. “All on the same page! Everyone good?”

The rest of her family look profoundly nonplussed. 

Luc leans back in his chair. “Ah,” he says. 

End description.]

Being in your twenties is just like *accidentally unearths repressed family trauma in a casual conversation* *accidentally unearths repressed family trauma in a casual conversation* *accidentally unearths repressed family trauma in a casual conversa-*