ah. he recognizes this. it's the same thought shaun had upon his arrival, it's the same conclusion. a perfectly reasonable one to draw, all things considered, especially if vex'ahlia has just come from a particularly difficult moment. but she isn't dead, vax knows. no one here is, not even he, for now. so he slowly lowers them both to the sand, holding both of her hands in his and rubbing reassuring fingers across her knuckles.

"if i may offer some reassurance. you aren't yet beyond the divine gate. you aren't dead. shaun is here, and so is--" ah. he comes from a time where they haven't yet married. he'll have to carry this one carefully. "-- percival. a handful of others from wildemount. i arrived here after i left your wedding--" ah, shit, does she know about that? "-- and didn't make it back to the matron, i. i can't reach her here-- vex--"

truly, it still doesn't feel real. his thoughts spin at a mile a minute, overshadowing everything else. "gods, i'm just so happy to see you."