( OPEN ) february catch-all

[gynvael]

Who: Geralt + Jaskier; Yennefer; You
When: February // Feoveuer
Where: Aefenglom
What: A rescue. Not quite from who you'd expect. + other things as they come.
Warnings: Violence, CW related to the current event.

[ starters in comments. plot with me at discontinued! ]

OPEN: post-kidnapping

CLOSED: Jaskier | Yennefer | Jaskier pt. ii | yennefer + myr

Comments

[gynvael]

[ Will they? It's not only Jaskier that troubles him. Geralt has never meant for her to be what holds him together; that's a burden he's never allowed onto anyone else before. Only now he finds himself leaning on her, far more than he should.

He takes her hand. He can hear her heart pounding as magic shimmers around them. ]

You should get some rest. [ He sits on the edge of the bed, ignoring the broken bottle for now. The room smells like spilled gin. ] Shouldn't have to mind me all night.

[ He's already said he won't leave. And he's done a lot of things, but he doesn't plan on breaking a promise to her. ]

[chaoticbeauty]

[ He may never have meant for it, but she was the only one here right now. And there was too much at stake for pride to stand in the way. For either of them.

The rest of the magic slowly fades, not able to drop everything at once.

Bit by bit more fades as she watches Geralt, waiting until the last barrier drops. Sighing, she sits down on the bed next to him -- still holding onto his hand as she waves her other to clean up the glass. She can't do much about the smell, too drained to try for anything more than protection for their feet. Or at least, hers. ]

I'm not leaving you. [ She crosses her legs, looking around as she tries to figure out how the fuck they got to this point. ] You need to eat something. I can either bring something up to you or you can follow me down to the kitchen.

[ Either to sober him up a bit or give him a foundation to keep drinking. ] Besides, you need a new bottle of gin.

[gynvael]

[ His expression flickers when she repeats the same words to him. He flexes his fingers, both to test the bandages wrapped around them and to will his claws to return to normal. It's funny. He's always been concerned with not risking her life. That's never changed, from the start. Over time, he's realized he's not willing to risk her heart, either, and doing both is...

Not always possible. Sometimes he wonders if he makes things worse by trying to. ]

We both do.

[ Maybe something stronger than gin. He gets up to follow her downstairs. As they pass by the liquor cabinet, he takes a bottle out. One of Maria's samples? Whatever it might be, it's good enough.

There's a loaf of bread on the counter that he simply tears a chunk out of, not near in the mood for the refinement that calls for a knife. He passes Yennefer the bottle with one hand and stuffs a fluffy piece of bread into his mouth with the other. ]

He'll be damned annoyed you'll have saved his life thrice now. [ It's a quiet acknowledgement that he knows she's right: there's nothing to do but wait and believe they'll get him out. Beyond that -- they'll deal with what comes if it does. ]

[chaoticbeauty]

[ It’s such a simple phrase on its face, a string of 4 words. She doesn’t qualify it, doesn’t return it with a condition. It’s straightforward and seemingly easy to say. Even if they both know it’s not. It’s as close to an admission of love as she might get for now. Because she hadn’t said it back to him that night after he’d found his way into her nightmare. That was too complicated of a situation, but this wasn’t. They needed each other and they needed to stay strong for whatever Jaskier could feel through the bond. She had no interest in being responsible for feeding his fear when he has enough to worry about. And in that same vein, she had no interest in feeding any more of Geralt’s rage right now. Not when they knew Jaskier was awake and at the beginning of whatever hard truths were about to find him.

And where he may not be willing to risk her life or heart, she is if there’s no other choice. But, she’d prefer to not reach that point.

She doesn’t bother with lighting the kitchen as they enter it, letting the calm and darkness of night wash over them through the large windows, taking the bottle when it’s handed over and quickly opening it to take a drink. If they were skipping the refinement of knives, glasses seemed like a stretch. She slides the bottle back to Geralt, roaming through the kitchen to grab a chilled block of softer cheese and some grapes.

Yen isn’t in the mood for cheese under her nails, grabbing a knife for herself. She manages a soft chuckle as she returns to the counter, adding to their small but growing collection of food. She cuts off a bit of cheese from the small block and grabs a chunk of bread. ]

Well, I’m sure I’ll think of a way or five he can return the favor.

[gynvael]

[ The air remains heavy despite it all. It feels not unlike sitting on a boiling pot and hoping it won't spill over. He tries not to think about it, what can't be helped. And he can admit he's at least grateful Yennefer is here. Safe. If it had been her instead—

Jaskier could not have stopped him. He doubts Jaskier would've even tried.

He takes a drink from the bottle. When he passes out back to her, their hands brush and he lets himself linger on it. ]

Only five? [ There's a faint glint in his eyes. ] You've grown generous.

[ Jaskier's not the only one who owes her, though. He knows that, too. ]

[chaoticbeauty]

[ The air will likely remain heavy for as long as Jaskier remains in the hands of the Circle. And it could've been. It could've been any of them. That's what made this so terrifying and why she was so insistent on keeping Geralt in the house. He was an easy target right now. Distracted and injured. And, by extension, she was also an easy target at the moment. Better to barricade to stay safe and alive, and make a plan to save Jaskier. Starting with that invitation tomorrow.

She smirks, letting their fingers brush and allowing him as much contact as he wants right now. If it meant keeping him calm and here, she could manage that. ]

Don't let word get out, I don't need anyone believing I've gone soft.

[ Eating the bit of bread, she gathers everything up onto the plate she'd grabbed for the cheese -- leaving the bottle for him to carry. ] Come on, the kitchen's cold and if we're staying up tonight I'd prefer to be comfortable. By the fire or bedroom?

[ Because what Jaskier was experiencing was likely only going to get worse tonight and they were all going to need as much support as possible. ]

[gynvael]

I always keep your secrets.

[ The banter is still lined with jagged edges, but it manages to set him at ease somewhat. He picks up the bottle, seeing what she's doing with the food. The house is big; everything seems to echo, and he's reminded of the halls of Kaer Morhen. ]

Fire should do. [ He'd rather stay somewhere more open. Besides, his lingering wounds still ache and he doesn't want to put in the effort of going all the way back up those stairs.

He sits close to her, their shoulders brushing as he settles on the fur rug spread out before the fireplace. Not much needs to be said; it's enough to have her next to him. It's funny. He spends so much of his time alone, and yet -- he feels it now, something missing without Jaskier here alongside him and Yennefer. A thread pulled loose from a braid. ]

[chaoticbeauty]

And I yours.

[ He does, that's true. He keeps her secrets and she returns that favor. Usually without a need to weaponize those confessions and truths. At least, not lately -- and to her credit, the only one she weaponizes it against is him. It was a dangerous game to play, that level of trust she didn't often give to many. Trust he'd earned and trust she'd actively tried to maintain with him and for him.

Setting everything down, a wave of her hand ignites the flames -- bringing them roaring to life as the logs catch again.

Popping a grape into her mouth, she relaxes as much as she can -- some of the tension refusing to leave her shoulders. Still on edge and ready to reflexively react should there be another burst of emotion from Jaskier. Something strong enough to draw Geralt away from her.

She can’t fill the void Jaskier has left and she has no intentions to try. Taking up a space she’s not meant to isn’t a hobby she enjoys. And one she doesn’t need to employ. It’s strange, any other time she might’ve felt threatened by Geralt’s strong response to the Bard. Not that she had a right to lay claim, but if Geralt voiced the feeling of something missing, she’d be remiss to not agree. But, she’d need quite a few more drinks first. Because that would also be an admission of needs and feelings and that’s not in the plans tonight. Fuck no. Not with everything just a little too raw.

So, she sits. And she stays close. And she takes his hand when there’s another wave of strong emotions, leaving him only to fetch another bottle when they’ve finished off the latest. Let the dawn eventually wash over them with her head on his shoulder, eyes fixed on the window as the birds dance in the slowly blooming garden. ]

[gynvael]

[ The silence is welcome. They sit in it together and when she reaches for his hand, he offers it to her, squeezing gently. He wishes she didn't feel both of their emotions so strongly. It can't be pleasant, and right now, he has no idea how to hold back the tide of it.

As agitated as he grows with every burst of fear and pain, he stays with her as promised. It's fucking hard. The itch to do something grows every hour; he flips the invitation around, studying it for something else they might be able to use in between downing the bottles of liquor that come his way.

In the end, exhaustion is their saving grace: even he can't keep awake after all the shit that's happened. By the time the sun begins to crest the horizon, he's passed out somewhere—either against Yennefer or sprawled on the rug by the dying fire. ]