Jaskier "old-timey fuckboy" Alfred Pankratz (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cointosser) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
middaeg2021-03-07 02:29 pm
cointosser) wrote in middaeg2021-03-07 02:29 pm
March Catch-All [Open, Mostly]
Who: Jaskier and you!
When: All through Mareuer (March)
Where: Aefenglom, mainly the shopping/entertainment districts
What: Livin' life as an ex-Cwyld kidnappee who has never had a bad thing happen to him in his life, singing sad songs about his lost love, learning how to dance again the way he danced with Lightning.....
Warnings: Body horror in the third prompt for Yen, mentions of last month's plot.
((Feel free to add a wildcard prompt if it tickles your fancy! Jaskier will be wandering Aef as always, sometimes with a white wolf Turnskin (i.e., Geralt) following behind him or watching from the distance. You can also ping me at![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
scathefire if you have any starters you'd like!))
When: All through Mareuer (March)
Where: Aefenglom, mainly the shopping/entertainment districts
What: Livin' life as an ex-Cwyld kidnappee who has never had a bad thing happen to him in his life, singing sad songs about his lost love, learning how to dance again the way he danced with Lightning.....
Warnings: Body horror in the third prompt for Yen, mentions of last month's plot.
I. CELION DION IN THE CAR ALONE WHILE CRYING; Aefenglom; early Mareuer in the Shopping District
[After the time between his current moment and his last second in that cage lengthens, Jaskier becomes more... not quite himself, but certainly more than a shade of the bright bard he previously was. It seems fair that as things become a little brighter, he must be brought down by even more bad news.
It's one of his rare decisions to leave his, Geralt and Yennefer's home and take a walk around the city. As much as he wishes he could simply go for a walk on his own, he asks Geralt to come with him, throwing his lute onto his back. Not, he imagines, he'll find much use for it. It's simply something constantly by his side. A bit like Geralt as of late. Geralt shifts before they leave, and honestly, Jaskier doesn't question it. He understands the implicit desire behind it.
Once in the depths of the city, he doesn't really mean to go looking for her. He thinks seeing a familiar face -- perhaps one that managed to escape all of the Evergreen Circle's machinations -- will help cheer him up. Even if Lightning is possibly the last person, next to Geralt, to seek for cheerfulness. He ducks into Karen's patisserie (who at least gives him a warm welcome) only to come to find Lightning is not there, in her usual pink, frilly apron. The one that matches her hair so well.
Karen twists a towel between her hands as she shakes her head, glancing over his shoulder to peer at the wolf waiting for him outside. Sorry to say she isn't here anymore. Didn't come into work one day and I checked with the Coven. Back home, they say.
Jaskier stands quietly in the middle of the patisserie, feeling awkward.]
Oh. I see. [While some faces he's met before he's not seen again, this is the first time the loss is so visceral and in his face. Before the Circle's intervention, he had been working on a very special song, just for her, something to play on a quiet moment as they drank coffee or tea. Jaskier could say he had set aside a piece of his heart for her. And he, of course, had imagined their relationship evolving --]
Well, thank you for letting me know. I'll come by for a few more of those croissants later. They're a favorite in the house.
[Jaskier gives her a polite smile after buying a nice, fresh loaf for Geralt. He steps outside to meet his Bonded. The weather is warming finally, and the sun is out. A nice day.] I was thinking I might play a bit.
[Geralt nods and follows him. They find a nice little spot in the sun near the patisserie with a patch of grass and well-cultivated flowers. The giant white wolf curls up in the sun and Jaskier sits against him, cradling his lute in his lap. Perhaps not a waste he'd brought it with him, then.
Occasionally he leaves Geralt when the wolf begins to sleep (and only fair, for his sleep has been so terrible as of late) to walk as he strums. He plays a song(minus the Office reference)off and on, and another for Lightning as he experiments with a word that would rhyme with lightning ("Bitening my heart," he sings, then wrinkles his nose, crossing the words out the notebook laid across his leg as he mutters, "Fuck, I'm terrible, aren't I?"), his booted foot tapping to the rhythm. If one has heard Jaskier perform before, these songs are opposite of his normal jovial, upbeat tunes, and not quite performed with the sort of energy he's had before.]
((ooc: Geralt will be in the background snoozing, so mention if you want to directly interact with him or both of them!))
II. SHADOWS LINGER EVEN IN DAY; Aefenglom; closer to mid-Mareuer somewhere in the Entertainment District
[Nearly a month later, Jaskier is able to, at least occasionally, go out on his own. He no longer flinches at the sound of his own name, which is quite reassuring. Still, his sleep is often interrupted, even though the physical scars on his body left by the growing Cwyld mushrooms have nearly gone completely. Mostly it's only the original scar they sprouted from, his skin split by Geralt's teeth, that still remains.
With the weather warmer, Jaskier has rolled his sleeves up a little. Enough that some of the scars may peek through.
He's felt good. For a week, even more. And yet when he steps deeper into the bright lights and loud noises of the Entertainment District, Jaskier begins to feel he's made a mistake. As fucking frustrating as it is -- this was a place he flourishes. Now people sometimes brush too close and he backs away, or there's a laugh quite too loud, or he passes by a few squirrels or cats tucked into cages, curled up with a tail around them --
That does it. Bile rises in his throat and he rushes past a music hall with the distant sound of strings, but when he catches the smell of what is, undeniably, cooking mushrooms nearby, he loses it. A chill rushes through him, his body shaking, and he ducks into an alley with the urge to vomit. He can feel it all over again, the heated pain in his right arm from the cutting. The cultivating. Even if the voice does not echo in his ears anymore, Jaskier distinctly remembers what it sounded like.
What the Cywld itself sounds like, as it urges its host to spread it.]
It's gone. I'm rid of it. This is all -- [He shakes his head to himself.] A terrible memory.
[Boy, it's good no one can see him having a breakdown in this darkened alley.]
III. SHADOWS EXPAND BY NIGHT; Aefenglom; the Witcher household; closed to Yennefer
[Truthfully, it was miraculous since that time in Yennefer's head they've managed to keep themselves separate, especially when Jaskier spent, at least for a week, more often then not his nights shivering to himself, having woken up with a choked scream in his throat. It's done shit for his ability to sing, which is simply the cherry on top.
The fluctuation between intense sadness and righteous anger has done shit good for his heart, too.
And feeling Geralt withdrawing further away from the two of them, whether he means to or not. (Which, of course, he bloody does.) Oftentimes now Geralt simply is absent at night, or in the early morning, and Jaskier hasn't had the balls to ask him why. What it is, specifically, he's doing.
Because it is, of course, something to do with him.
It's another night where Geralt is missing. He's either too tired to keep trying to keep his mind closed or he's let his guard down, and in the end, it doesn't matter. The nightmare doesn't so much creep in as catch him by the ankle and drag him into it. His body is tied down to the ground, the dark Cwyld forests closing in around him. At least, he's sure he's tied -- until he lifts his head to find the mushrooms have spread down his arm so much that they blend in to the ground. Or his hand itself is now part of the ground, melted into the soil as the Cwyld takes over his body.
Enough black he can't see the tone of his skin anymore.
He screams. A light flashes through the forest, bringing a wave of heat. Fire. It's flicking at the tree edges, catching leaves, snapping up the Cwyld mushrooms along the forest floor. Coming for him. They'll burn you when they're done, I suspect. Once they've taken all those lovelies off of your skin. His harpy nurse, lover of the Evergreen Circle, coming along with her feather-tips as sharp as needles. Just a guess. They don't tell me everything around here, but it's been a delight to watch.
The cold of the cage bars plays with the heat of the fire, and just behind the flickering flames, bright gold eyes are waiting to finish the job. Somehow, even over the fire, he can hear the growls from the monsters.
Much more patient than the ones that waited for him in the Circle's basements.]
((Feel free to add a wildcard prompt if it tickles your fancy! Jaskier will be wandering Aef as always, sometimes with a white wolf Turnskin (i.e., Geralt) following behind him or watching from the distance. You can also ping me at
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[Roxas has no idea if it's inappropriate to ask or not, but he doesn't see a problem with it if Jaskier is okay with it. Maybe he can even bring his Bonded along. Turnskin friendship bonding??]
Well, I dunno about that. You may just be a bard, but I think you've got a strong light in your heart.
[He may not have the same relationship with Light as Sora or the other Guardians of Light do, but wielding the element himself, Roxas understands how powerful light can be. And he knows just how strong the strength of one's heart can be, even if they're not combat-hardened. Jaskier seems like a good source of light and happiness, even if he claims to not be a fighter.]
[But those thoughts get put on hold when they near the shop. Roxas's countenance brightens, and his youth really shows forth as his tail wags a bit harder.]
Yeah, this is it! It's got the best ice cream, trust me. Come on, let's go in!
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[Why not? He imagines it's much more personal with Turnskins, but his change is temporary and only in shape and size; there is no animal instincts he inherits in that form. It's more a shroud so he's not turning into prey during indulgent hunts.
At least the ice cream distracts the boy. Jaskier has no idea what that means, that he has a strong light. That he's not a depressing mess? He is now, but... he feels better, doing something so simple. With someone so easily satisfied, as well. Is he the same? When they step inside the warm interior of the shop, bright with pastel colors, he feels the same. Satisfied.
He tries not to laugh at his tail, but it's fucking hard.] All right, it's on me. Ooh, look at the size of these things! [He steps up to peer into the drums of what must be ice cream, which to him looks a bit like frosty clay. How interesting. And it's cold...? He watches another receive a little stick with the dessert on the tip. A sample.
Like that festival he went to so long ago. Free food. It's still bizarre to him.] What stops one from simply standing here for hours, eating bites off those sticks?
[The inanity of it? He could do it himself, testing each one. Trying out the flavors he can smell. And the colors -- some are as pastel as the walls, but the one labeled chocolate is a rich, deep brown. Fascinating.]
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[For now, his tail wags harder as he sees Jaskier's wonder. See, ice cream really does make things better! He turns to the case himself and looks over the flavours.]
Are you sure? I don't mind treating! I brought you here, after all.
[If Jaskier insists, he won't fight it. But he grins and spends some time pointing out the different flavours and explaining them to him. Though, he does chuckle when Jaskier asks about the free samples.]
Well, you could, but I think the servers might cut you off after a while.
[Though, he does point at one that is a light beige with streaks of caramel in it.]
Oh, see that? That's the salted caramel. That's my favourite here.
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[If the atmosphere is anything to go by how it will taste -- or the smell. It's a bright place, as if this dessert is enough anticipation to lighten one's mood. Or Jaskier is projecting terribly. But who can blame him, when he's been so desperate to feel anything other than some deep sense of loss?
And even better when his companion has undergone the same as him. Or worse.
He listens intently to every explanation, though after a while the flavors that don't particularly stick out to him blur together. Still, he feels a mighty need to try every single one.]
Salted caramel. Then two of those! [And... maybe one of those, and one of those. He points out several and, in the end, ends up with a lot of cups of scooped, mounded and rounded ice cream all along the counter.
He passes over the coin without thinking too hard about it.] I may have been ambitious.
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[He chuckles as Jaskier picks out a few flavours, glad that the other man was so taken by the frozen treat. It's much smaller than Jaskier's haul, mostly because he doesn't want to take advantage of Jaskier's kind offer, but he does decide to add a scoop of vanilla to his own cup.]
Hey, that's okay. You can never be too ambitious with ice cream. Why not try different things while you can?
[He says it while moving away from the counter to a nearby table. Something tells him they should eat this sitting down.]
Let me know what you think! You've got enough flavours there to pick a favourite, I think.
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This is truly the first time in his life he can recall where mortality was a near-daily thought on his mind.
Jaskier shoves it aside with a smile.] You're absolutely right. I fully intend to indulge in every meaning of the word.
[He manages to juggle several cups of scooped ice cream all smoshed together with varying levels of success, lining them up in front of him with a spoon in one hand. The first taste -- ah! It was delicious! And it did taste of strawberries! But frozen cold, yet it melted immediately... with a taste of sweet, sweet cream.
He sighed.] Roxas, it's truly amazing. [He laughs.] I can't believe I missed this all this time. I traveled so much, it was quite rare I ever had a chance for cold foods, and frozen things were... well, practically impossible to keep on the road. It's a special sensation, I feel. It reminds me of, when I was younger, when classes were out, all of the students would run to the courtyard to taste the freshly fallen snow.
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[Especially now, where he has the opportunity to exist how he wants.]
Well, I won't stop you! Dig in!
[He watches eagerly as Jaskier takes his first bite, and he chuckles as he sees the shift in Jaskier's face. His tail wags behind him, and his grin widens.]
See? I told you it was good. You probably look like I did when I first had ice cream.
[He does perk up when Jaskier begins talking of his own experiences.]
Really? You don't have freezers or ice magic to keep things cool in your world?
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Freezers? [Ah, that sounds like one of those things he's never heard of. And ice magic! The very idea of someone using magic to keep food chilled for a bit! Gods, the sorceresses would probably eviscerate him for very idea. (He may ask Yennefer about it later.)]
I'm afraid I was totally devoid in magic. Never had a spark of it before here. And as far as I'm aware, the wielders of magic were far more suited to war than maintaining food stores.
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[It's interesting, learning about other worlds and how they function. It was one of the things he liked about going on missions for the Organization; seeing how one world could be a temperate town, and another a heated desert, and a third a tropical island... so many worlds with their own rules. Even this world. It's just interesting to see.]
Well, freezers are just machines that can keep things cold. Like food, and ice cream. Though if your world doesn't have that kind of technology, I don't blame you for not knowing about them.
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[Or, at least, he can imagine that's what draws people to it. Or protecting what they believe needs protecting.
He still has yet to understand why Yennefer did what she did at the Battle of Sodden, and he's surely not going to ask.]
Ah. Machines. [Yes, he totally understands what that word means in relation to whatever Roxas is saying.] We're old-fashioned in comparison, I imagine? Plenty of food to go around, if the local crops don't drown or suffer a plague. It's simply not, er, cold.
[Breads and cheeses, fruits and stews. Pierogis. One cannot forget pierogis.] You're not the first who's sounded surprised I was lost with some of their words.
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[He's basing his assumptions on what Jaskier has said before. Monsters sometimes needed to be fought, right?]
A little bit. But then again, I come from a different world than you, so it makes sense we would be used to different things. I've seen some pretty weird worlds, after all. And to be fair, there's a lot of things I don't know about either. That just means we have a lot to learn, right?
[He says it with a smile. Now that he has the chance to, he wants to learn so many new things.]
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But passage between them is impossible. Or it was always said to be.
It made him a bit of an impossibility as well, didn't it?]
I do love learning. [He laughs to himself.] A student of the sciences is a student of life, I always say. [He doesn't always say that, but it sounds good and right now.] Do you have a favorite? A world? I don't know, is that a thing? It sounds like it could be.
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[He chuckles at Jaskier's enthusiasm, his tail wagging as he takes a bite of his ice cream. He hums, taking his time chewing before swallowing.]
That's easy. My favourite's a world called Twilight Town. It's my home, and where my best friends live.
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[But it had been only that to him -- a theory. There was evidence of it, of course, out in the world. Elves, and monsters, and unicorns, if you believed in that sort of thing.
Now he had proof! And proof that there were many more like him, which was a reassurance in itself.]
Ah! It only makes sense to be your favorite, then. [He smiled, but it faded a bit at the edges.] I do hope you make it back to them one day. But, what am I saying? Of course you will. You're a well-seasoned traveler already!
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[It is interesting, though. Multiple worlds coming together, and combining into one? It's strange... though it is similar to Aefenglom, isn't it? He nods slowly.]
Maybe there is truth to it. If it can happen here, it should be able to happen in other worlds, right?
[Jaskier seems really knowledgable about these kinds of things! He seems like a smart guy, really.]
[Roxas smiles, chuckling at Jaskier's words.]
Yeah, I'm sure I'll go back sometime. And hey, maybe I'll be able to come and visit your world, too.
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He's thought long and hard about it for over a year. That it all feels so deliberate. Not by the people here, or the Coven -- all his education with them over time has Jaskier confident he understands them. It doesn't feel as if a force like the Coven brought so many strangers here.
Ah, but it's something to mull over another day. He's far too pleased with his array of desserts to muddle his mind with such depressing topics. And it's lovely to feel this, even, considering how his morning hard started.] Ah, well, my world's a bit depressing, but I would welcome seeing you, Roxas. I can at least tour you to some proper taverns.