middaeg | [Open] I wanted all the things that I haven't got

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[Open] I wanted all the things that I haven't got

Who: Rich Goranski and you!
When: Beginning of the month up until the event
Where: All around the city, including in Desmodus Mori and the refugee area
What: Rich goes about fulfilling some quests while also dealing with some monster changes. Also feat. a dash of punk.
Warnings: Some mention of broken families in the last prompt. Otherwise it should be good!

Anyways, here's Wonderwall

[Rich needed a break.

Honestly, most people probably did. Dorchacht had taken a lot out of the spirits of the people involved in that struggle, and even for the ones at home, Rich heard about what they had to deal with from anti-Bonded protestors.

And of course, there's been the whole issue of the SQUIP's continued efforts to get to everyone Rich ever happened to care about, which is making Rich more than a little worried about the new arrivals, especially Jeremy and Michael. He knows the two of them are smart, but could they hold up against literal magic? A freaking android apparently couldn't.

But worrying can only get Rich so far. And speaking of freaking androids, Connor had definitely given Rich a suggestion that's been kind of ingrained in his head as he starts looking for an outlet for pent up energy.

So after his shifts at the music store, Rich takes his guitar out from the shop, moves to an empty spot by the park, and sets up. He feels a little silly, leaving his guitar case open on the ground, but... hey, this is where most stars start out, right?

So he plays. His voice is fairly shaky at first, confidence not quite embedded into that aspect of his musical interest, but as he starts getting into the music, old classics he listened to freshman year of high school, his enthusiasm picks up, and he bounces around to the beat.

When he finishes, he looks up to whoever might have been observing, giving a sheepish grin.]

Any requests?

[His taste is unique, but he can stop playing anti-establishment 'fight the man' nonsense and pull out a classic love song if he must.]

Well, it's true that they say love bites

[The request had seemed fairly simple at first. Donate blood for some vampires to have a sustainable and consensual source of food and it's done. Rich wasn't squeamish, so donating blood seemed like an easy way to make some cash. Hell, maybe it was like the blood drives at school and he'd get a cookie after.

But when he does get into the bar, he does feel... a bit like he's bitten off more than he can chew. Particularly because he remembers now that this place probably doesn't have modern day needles and IVs. How in the hell does he donate?

Any vampires or regulars who know the drill should probably help the guy, who's now staring at his arms, wondering if tattoos were an issue.]

Carpenters: having daddy issues since Jesus Christ

[Even if Rich needed a break from the stress of last month, he couldn't completely stay out of it, so when he realized the refugees were in need of homes, he didn't blink before signing up. Whenever he has spare time, he's over in the area, helping move building materials and furniture around. He's not an expert in carpentry, but he took wood shop, so he knows how to at least cut planks of wood down to smaller planks.

When he takes a break from heavy lifting, Rich can often be found goofing off with the kids, teaching them games or telling them stories. He might appreciate a teammate to help him wrangle all the kids after a run outside... or he can always be scolded for encouraging the kids' loud laughter and screeching. But would you really ruin the fun of a dozen little kids, plus the biggest kid of them all?]

When you're half dragon but not even the cool Skyrim protagonist kind

[No matter how busy Rich attempts to keep himself, there isn't much he can do to avoid the changes, when they come. They aren't even noticeable physical ones this time... but they're still frustrating.

First comes fatigue. The rain probably makes everyone a little gloomy, but Rich wasn't expecting it to be this overwhelming. It gets to the point where he doesn't even want to crawl out of bed... and when he does, he can often be found an hour later, passed out leaning against a wall or just faceplanted on the ground. If anyone attempts to approach him then, they'll likely end up with a very cold teenager clinging to them until he's warm enough to come to and realize just how embarrassing he's acting.

Then there's a little itch, some urge in the back of his mind that gets worse when he passes art galleries and shops with framed paintings. He doesn't mean to, but he spends ages staring at the pictures, especially those of families... of happy, sweet mothers and brave, protective fathers. Happy scenes, no alcohol or hospital rooms in sight.

Perhaps you see him staring at one of these paintings, looking like he's going to swipe it off the wall at any moment. Or perhaps, if you carry any photos on your person, you may find them missing from your pockets, only to see Rich wandering past, the picture still in his hands as he stares down at it, making a beeline for home so he can add it to his collection.]

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I mean, you don't have to actually be disappointed to give off the vibe, dude. I was just saying you constantly look like I got a bad mark on a math test.

[He couldn't say whether Geralt is correct or Lambert is, but he certainly gives off a bit of a butthead energy. All Rich can tell is that he still feels like he's being judged, even in this simple conversation.]

Can't say that's something I do. I'm still in high school, so I'm not a head hunter.

[Not that he hasn't been put in his fair share of danger.]

What kind of things are you hunting?

What's 'high school'? [ The cadence of his question is strange; pronouncing high school like he thinks it sounds like a school somewhere significantly above sea level. Sokie's explanation of institutionalized schooling to him in 'modern' worlds was very brief.

But, aha. ]

Things that kill humans.

[ Deliberately vague, and his pause may be telling. Rich seems like someone who might be bothered by the pejorative use of The M Word, and Geralt is cognizant enough to know better than to phrase it that way in front of children, anyhow. ]

Uh, it's where you go for education when you're a teenager. I mean, you go from elementary school, to middle school, to high school. Does... that make any sense?

[High school is such a basic concept to him that he has no idea how to even explain it. He sure wishes it was more exciting though.

He frowns at the explanation for a moment, before he seems to realize what Geralt probably means, and he gives a grim nod of understanding.]

Right. Some people just had fancy names for what they were fighting, that's all. Thought maybe you'd be the same. My world was... it didn't have any of that stuff. Don't know if it's 'normal' anymore, though.

No.

[ Geralt just stares at him. He comes from a place where only privileged children, the offspring of royalty or the wealthy classes, receive tutoring as children - structured schooling for children and teens appear as mage schools or religious agonizing. Universities are their own affair. ]

Are you from a world like this? Advanced technology?

[ lol ]

...Oh boy. This is advanced technology to you? This is like, dark ages in my world. Or well, not quite that bad, but still. At least we have working electricity and heaters and stuff like that.

[Judging from Geralt's blank expression, he's going to guess the guy has to come from a more medieval situation, which probably means no education at all for someone like him.]

It's like... okay, the really rich kids in your world probably have tutors, right? Well, imagine there's like a whole building full of tutors, but all those tutors teach like... 20 to 30 kids all at once, five times a week.

We have magic. [ And monsters, as he's already ... not-mentioned. The rest of that, though, just puzzles him further. He knows what school is, he just doesn't know what 'high school' is, and doesn't know enough about institutionalized, legally required education to make the leap to whatever it is Rich is explaining.

So he ends up just saying ] Sure, [ which probably sounds patronizing when it's actually just him being confused. ]

I was raised by wolves, technically.

[Oh, so... probably some weird fantasy world. Rich should have known, and thus should have known trying to explain probably wouldn't have gone well. He could try again, but he just sighs and lets it go.

The mention of Geralt's upbringing shocks him enough to distract him anyways.]

Wait. Like. Actually raised by wolves? You're not bullshitting me?

Witchers of the School of the Wolf, at Kaer Morhen in the remote mountains of Kaedwen. Far enough away from any human or elven settlement to be effectively imaginary.

[ Yes, he's bullshitting him. But they are indeed called wolves by witchers from other schools; the medallion on his chest, a silver wolf-head, is a symbol of it. (And at home it might have spoooooky flickering red eyes, but it's nerfed into some cute jewelry, here.)

Deadpan, ] I've been told my manners make it seem literal.

...Yeah, I really did think you were serious until you said. You need to work on your joke delivery, dude.

[Whatever in there isn't a joke sounds intriguing, though, and might explain why Rich couldn't explain normal schooling to him.]

So what did you exactly "learn" there? Hunting techniques?

What are you talking about? I'm hilarious.

[ In his same, awful, deadpan tone. At least - perhaps? - this sheds some light on the way Geralt's been speaking to him. No matter how he seems, he always seems to sound the same fucking way. There are minor inflections, shifts to his expression, but it's like a foreign language, almost, with how difficult to discern it can get. ]

Everything I needed to. For what I am.

[Rich actually can't help but burst out laughing at that. It's just unexpected enough to get to him, and it does relieve him a little bit, to realize that this is just the way this guy acts.]

Shit, dude, you sure are.

"What" you are, though? That's a weird way to put being a hunter.

[ He tips his head back a little, as if silently saying - See? Told you so. ]

I'm a witcher. We're created to fight things that humans can't survive dealing with.

[ Yes, witch-er, it's a word and not him stuttering over saying 'witch'. (Some localizations went with 'hexer' from the very specific Polish word it originally is, but we're stuck with this.) ]

That's why I look so fucking weird. [ Look at him, he's really got jokes. But he does have strange eyes and scars all over. ]

That's... a weird thing to be. How do you just stop being human once you start getting training to be a witcher?

[He definitely does note the eyes and scars though. Guess he must have had those before coming here.]

I mean, I'm a human, but I also look fucking weird. You're lucky my scales covered up all the scars.

Mutations.

[ He won't be elaborating on that, but for meta funsies: they suck, and very few survive. But no one ends up a candidate witcher because of an abundance of other options in life. ]

Why am I lucky? Scars look fine. [ More of his shit sense of humor. ] What's your name, anyway?

Like X-men?

[That's all he can think of when he thinks mutations... but he bets it's probably way suckier than getting to be a cool superhero.]

Scars make me look like Frankenstein's monster, but okay, I guess. I'm Rich Goranski. Can't believe I didn't mention that before.

[ That's a whole barrel of references that Geralt doesn't understand, and would be baffled at hearing any explanation of. He just does his blank look thing at him for a moment, before - ]

Alright, Goranski. I'm Geralt.

[ And the rain is letting up a bit, which means it's time for him to get back to work. ]

Keep an eye on your exposure out here, [ he says as he turns to head out. ] There's no cure for this shit.

[ Dragons, man. ]

[Rich wrinkles his nose.]

Ew, no. Just call me Rich. Nice to talk to you again, Geralt.

[Sort of, actually. It did make Rich feel a little bit like he hadn't pissed in Geralt's Cheerios and assured him that this was just normal.

Might not make them agree at the end of the day, but at least Rich feels a little more confident that they could sort of get along. He waves off the concern. Eh, what's going to happen to a dragon out here?]

I'll be careful if you are.

[ Aren't dragons much more susceptible to the Cwyld? Well, not any of Geralt's business. He's a witch and he has no bonds. Everyone can yolo all they want out here.

He just nods. He's always careful.

Catch u later bro ]

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[Open] I wanted all the things that I haven't got

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