Just come over, Jayce, I have no preference. I'm not leaving the house until Ciri's home, because otherwise I might lose my mind with the possibilities. And she'll kill me if I don't spoil Nixie.
[Her horse, of course.]
And let me know if you need the fees waived. I still owe Viktor for the spinny thing.
[The blender.]
Edited ((ooc: if you want to thread this I'm down!! it's up to you)) 2022-06-21 05:49 (UTC)
[ True to his word, Jayce knocks on the door pretty much at ten minutes on the dot from when he sent his message. He has had a hell of a few days, but Jaskier is not meeting him at his worst, when Viktor wasn't talking to him at all. He still looks completely worn out and highly anxious, Viktor told him the whole story after all, but at least they're not at odds.
He has a slight six o'clock shadow on his handsome but weary face, and in the desert weather, he leans toward short-sleeved shirts rather than his full jackets from home. But much like Viktor, Jayce still wears a vest and tie most days, including today. He's in all whites and reds, the Talis colors. It's a style choice. While Jayce is tall at 6'4 and built broad, there's nothing intimidating about the way he holds himself. He is genuinely more of an academic than anything else.
It was a relief to read that Jaskier was also worried about Ciri, since Jayce is usually the one people accuse of worrying too much. He waits quietly, hands clasped behind his back.]
[Ten? Minutes? Hours? Wait, he didn't -- ah, shit. Jaskier scurries around to clean up, then, before the guest arrives far more promptly than he was actually prepared for, especially when he was at the stable with the horses. They're taken care of for now until he can return Viktor's; he makes his way home and just beats Jayce there, the cane tucked under his arm.
He must be another Summoned, of course, but Jaskier doesn't quite have an image in his head of what this man could look like.
When he opens the door, he is caught off-guard. His mouth hangs open for a moment, before he makes a soft noise and licks his lips.] Ah. You must be Jayce?
[Must be. Melitele, look at the bulk of him. It's very rare Jaskier meets anyone built like Geralt, let alone... larger. (Goro does not count, thank you.) Jaskier, luckily, was already dressed to impress because it's simply how he is: a fantastic new collared button-up in navy blue with embroidered poppies by the sleeves, which he wears down even in the summer heat. Not for any other reason than he's grown used to it, and he dislikes when his scarred arm takes attention off his face.
He steps out of the doorway, inviting him inside with a sweep of his arm.] Come in, come in! You may as well stay for a bit of tea. My, you know, you look a bit familiar, now I think of it. [And so Jayce doesn't feel terribly trapped, he offers Viktor's cane over, already wiped clean of desert sand and grime.] Ah. I think you were working on a very large stack of paperwork. [When the Free Cities were considering their hard-won "cooperation" after more Singularity nonsense.
Fuck's sake. He hadn't gotten close enough to take in the bulk of him. Or that lovely, angled face.] As close as Viktor and I have grown in our times hunting pigeons, he never mentioned you were so handsome. A lack of oversight on his part, I imagine.
[Yes, Jaskier is capable of flirting even after a harrowing day of trying to figure out if Ciri was dead or not. In some way, he's even more likely to do so.] And you've heard from him? He's fine? I imagined he must be, as Ciri didn't mention otherwise.
[ Jayce's smile is immediate and warm, even with all the weight on his shoulders at the moment, he is impeccably polite and usually extroverted. He likes meeting new people. ]
Yes, I'm Jayce, it is a pleasure to meet you, Jaskier.
[ He hesitates only a moment before stepping inside. Jayce did think he would take the cane and go, he didn't expect a conversation, but he's not against it. He has been fairly lonely the past few days, and since he is less of a mess at the moment, a distracting social call sounds nice. Also this is one of Ciri's friends, which means that he has to be a good person worth knowing. Jayce already had a good opinion of Ciri, but now she's at the top of his list.
Jayce appreciates good clothes, he knows the value of a particular image after all, so he does get a look at Jaskier's nice shirt and embroidery. It's pretty, not that he plans on commenting on it, but he observes. He takes the cane and a wave of relief hits him now that he has it. Good. Viktor will have this when he gets back. ]
Right, that. [ Jayce has the good sense to look sheepish. ] I may have gotten a little overdramatic, but I hate when people don't give straight answers.
[ So he had to report his displeasure even if it took him hours, because he also had to note that any kind of experiments on people without full knowledge of what they were doing was also dangerous and reckless. And he was not happy that Viktor was going to end up touching the unknown variable, so he had to be grumpy about it somewhere. Apparently bureaucratic tape is not done with him. ]
Oh ... that's ... flattering, thank you. And you know, back at you.
[ Despite the fact Jayce's face is on merchandise and blimps, and he's had so many people comment on his attractiveness, it still feels surprising every time it's mentioned. Not only surprising, but he flusters, running a hand through his hair. He is clearly very bad at giving compliments back. The man can go on lectures, chatter excitedly about science, give speeches, but flirt a little with him and he's out of his depth. ]
He's as well as he can be. I'm glad the cane got here, I was ready to make him another one, but this is easier.
[ Yes, Jayce made this cane, which is why it is of incredibly good quality, compared to what Viktor was carrying around before he got there. It is precisely designed too. ]
I'm a blacksmith too. I'm making Ciri a replacement sword.
[He gives a snort, as if Jayce is underselling himself. (He definitely is. Jaskier is sure he had watched him for at least a quarter of an hour as he'd waited in line, which is far more time than Jaskier himself would ever have spent.)]
Ah. Thank you.
[He gives Jayce a little wink, and honestly, it's a good distraction. A bit of flattery, a bit of a fluster from a handsome man. Clearly he's already weak in the knees for Jaskier. Who could blame him? He wouldn't be surprised if Jayce knew his name well already, considering his work performing. Or did Jayce not attend his concert?
Hmm.]
You make canes? [That's. Oddly specific. Or -- ah. A blacksmith. He makes swords, too, apparently.] Anything long and hefty in the hand, eh? [He smiles again, but this time when he looks away, it drops far faster than before. Blacksmith. Like Hector had been. Has this Jayce taken over his forge? Jaskier wouldn't know. He avoids it now.] Oh. Wait. Ciri lost her sword? [He looks back.] Well, fuck me. The one Geralt gave to her! Things must have been, ah, rather rowdy. Did she tell you what happened?
[ Jayce waited for multiple hours, something Viktor openly facepalmed about, but he wasn't surprised either. It's very Jayce and though he knows from personal experience that the paperwork will go no where, at that point it was the principle of the matter. ]
Not really. [ Innuendo is completely lost on him, Jaskier. ] I make a lot of things. I usually preferred to physically make all of our inventions back home.
[ Viktor has always been better at precise things, but Jayce usually did the bigger pieces and he felt he was better at following their instructions than anyone they could hire otherwise. The initial hexgates were made by them, although by the time it was the large ones, that was a group effort.
Jayce looks guilty the moment he realizes that he revealed more about their adventure than Ciri did, because he promised her he would keep things secret. He doesn't know if her sword was one of those things. He is absolutely terrible at secrets and often talks without thinking it through. Whoops. ]
I didn't know it was a special sword. I'm making her a temporary one until we can meet and go over a design when she gets back.
[ For free. He'll insist on that, although she said she wanted to pay. Now that he knows she abandoned an important sword for Viktor, it's even more necessary to make it to her as a gift. Jayce crosses arms against his chest, giant on both fronts, and he's a little nervous approaching a topic he has to be careful with. But he can be vague. ]
No, not really, it must have gotten lost on the way to Aquila.
[ He's going to start sweating if he doesn't change the subject, so he focuses gold-brown eyes on Jaskier. ]
You're the one Viktor did the pigeon hunt with right? Where he found Purrfessor? She's our workshop cat now.
[ That's right, the cat's name is Purrfessor now. ]
[Jaskier only purses his lips. He can't blame Jayce for having his attention perhaps more focused on Viktor, but -- who can blame Jaskier for attempting to have a little fun in the meantime? At least when Ciri says she's fine, he can safely believe her.
(Yes, he's still worried. And he knows it's ridiculous to be so.)
Jaskier tips his head, looking him over. Huh.] I didn't realize you were an inventor as well. [With all the blacksmithing, he had assumed he was, perhaps, only focused on... er, the making of things. "Our inventions," is it. Like a partner?]
Yes, that's as far as I understand. I recommended a coachman that should have them returning without any further incident.
[If that's all he knows, then it's better he asked to probe.] Purr-- my gods, did he really name her Purrfessor? [He laughs.] I knew he would have a soft spot for that raggedy beast. I am the very same one. Viktor's invention didn't technically win us our prize, but I think it was helpful enough in obtaining you a fine mouser.
[ Jayce unfortunately does have someone who should be worried about extensively, although Viktor sulks if that's ever brought up. But from what he heard, Ciri wasn't in the best of shape either, it wasn't an easy situation for her. He won't share that as it's her story, but Jaskier has reasons to worry too. Although she's downplaying it far more than Viktor did for him. ]
Oh, yes, I'm a scientist and engineer, like Viktor. It's how we met. Blacksmithing is a family business.
[ It's also the reason Jayce is built like a brick wall, he's been slinging hammers and building things in the forge since childhood. That's a very easy way to add on bulk, and he's been doing it constantly since arriving in Cadens, so he's maintained that form here. He's otherwise a big nerd. ]
Thank you on his behalf, he was going to struggle without his cane.
[ Jayce laughs with him about the cat, he definitely heard about the somewhat embarrassing pigeon hunt, as Viktor called it. It sounded fun to him, but he's far more easy-going. ]
It's an inside joke, our mentor's pet is this animal called a poro, he followed him everywhere. His name is Porofessor.
[ They did share a mentor, although Heimerdinger's favoritism toward Jayce was well-known by the time Hextech was approved, and only got more so with time. It's a complicated relationship, given that he ousted him from his position, but he can still recall some warm memories, like that annoying little poro. After a beat, he smiles brightly, snapping his fingers.]
Wait, you're the musician, right? I knew I've heard your name from elsewhere too. I play the mandolin, not very well though, but I hear you're amazing.
[It only goes to show that books should not be judged merely by their covers, especially when their covers could possibly pick up Jaskier with one arm. At least he's at the point where "blacksmithing" isn't a word that tugs a string in his heart so tightly he loses breath. Hector is gone, and he is likely not coming back.
And Ciri is coming back, and alive.]
Porofessor. And here I took Viktor as someone who would not appreciate a fine pun.
[Actually, he's pretty sure he still won't, but Viktor probably thought he was being quite clever.]
Ah, of course you have. You have me pinned. Jaskier. [He bends at the waist, with a sweep of his hand. He's nothing if not theatric where it counts.] Master Bard, at your service. [And yes, he is amazing. Thank you.] But please, we're friends now. No need for titles. [Not that Jayce had a chance to even call him Master Bard --] If Viktor needs anything else, let me know. I imagine Ciri doesn't want to bear the full responsibility for any potential shenanigans she might have accidentally dragged him into. It seems like desert critters truly enjoy harassing Witcher companions, as I can fully attest to.
[That's, of course, all it was. Perhaps a few scrapes from a monster's attack. Certainly not transporting the two of them impossibly across space. Certainly not anything as such.]
[ Jaskier would not be the first or last person to be surprised that Jayce's book cover is so different from the description within. He's really used to it at this point. Even after becoming famous for Hextech, some people thought he must be a pretty front man for the project, not the creator of it. His face is all over Piltover and he's still not used to it, not really. Coming here has been a nice change of visibility. ]
Viktor's actually very funny, but it's a deadpan dry type of humor. I'm usually the bad pun guy.
[ It took Jayce a little while to catch on to Viktor's particular sense of humor, since he is not a subtle man, and Viktor is all subtlety. He finds him hilarious now that he gets it, but Jayce really is the hammer to Viktor's nail. Direct, obvious, forceful.
He smiles at the bow and the theatricality, it's very charming. This is the sort of person that was actually meant to be famous, not the secretly awkward nerd being pushed into the spotlight. It's easy to admire someone who it seems to come so easily to. ]
I'm pretty sure they might both blame themselves more than the other.
[ He already knows that Viktor does, and Ciri seems like the responsible type too, who might see her being unable to protect him from everything as a flaw. ]
I offered to heal them both when they get here, from whatever this little adventure might have brought down.
[ Still being very general since he cannot tell how much Jaskier knows, and he is not going to reveal much. Jayce has been steadily learning healing magic since arriving and the Horizon gave him a boost, not to mention his regular studying with Nadine at the medicine academy.]
How did a bard end up being the traveling companion of a monster fighter, if I can ask?
Oh, worry not. I have plenty of experience with deadpan, humor or otherwise.
[Geralt has given him nearly an entire lifetime of it, and despite Viktor's lack of puns in normal conversation, Jaskier does find him rather humorous. (Mostly, it was watching his face as the entire pigeon rescue occurred.)
He laughs. Ah. Jayce is a bit perceptive, isn't he?] You know, I think you're right.
[Oh. He makes a noise of surprise. Healing? Really? Is it magic he brings from home, or one he's learned?] Good. I'm glad, honestly. I have very limited healing capabilities myself.
[Healing a small cut or a bruise. Stabilizing himself. That's about it.
Oh? Jaskier smiles, and it's clear this is a question that he loves.] Oh, it's quite the story. Should we sit and drink while we await our companions? A wonderful way to pass the time. I've known the Witcher for a very long time.
[ Now there is a glimpse of dry humor from Jayce himself. He is very perceptive when it comes to people's feelings, empathic, one might say. He knows Viktor better than anyone, and he knows Ciri is a good person, so she'd naturally feel guilty for her friend nearly dying several times, even if it was pure bad luck. Neither of them is truly to blame, it really was a comedy of very dangerous errors. ]
I came out of the Horizon with a knack for healing and I've been focusing all my energy and training on it since. I always dreamed of having magic, it's very rare and taboo in our society.
[ Jayce has told Viktor that he feels like he was made for it, in a way. Maybe that's wishful thinking, but the way magic seems to work for him, it comes so easily, more than any skill he's had before. But it does come from a genuine place of love and passion; his dream come true. Every spell he's learned, a miracle. Jayce's healing magic grows stronger by the day. The determination to save the life of your partner is an excellent motivation. ]
Oh yes, it would be a distraction from worrying. Or working through my worrying. I have a tendency to get my anxiety out in the forge.
[ And it probably says something to how much worry and anxiety that might be that he is built like a brick house, working as often and as hard as he does. Jayce is warm and friendly and talking to someone instead of obsessively panicking over Viktor is worth taking the chance. ]
Geralt recently asked me to help him with some work, I don't think I've ever met someone who seems so comfortable with himself. At least from the outside he seems that way.
[ Jayce isn't assuming he can tell everything about a person from one look, but there was a certain calm from Geralt. Curiosity and stillness all at once. For someone not capable of the latter of those, it's admirable. ]
Imagine, healing being forbidden. The people capable of magic are quite limited in my sphere -- it's more a naturally occurring talent -- but the idea that healing should ever be looked down upon seems rather awful.
[Jaskier pulls out a chair from the dining room table for his new friend, gesturing to it. He sets the kettle to heat, searching for a matching pair of cups and tea packets. It's the way, after all. One must never tell stories with a dry throat, and -- well, Jayce doesn't seem the type to immediately go to wine.]
Then take a seat. We have naught to do while we wait. [And he doesn't mind gossiping about Geralt. He's built a career out of it, after all.] Blacksmithing work, I imagine? [Not a hard guess. The kettle whistles as he pours out it into a pot hand-painted with birds.] In some ways, he very much is. Perhaps "comfortable" is not the right term. It's more like... he knows who he is, and what he is, and does not doubt either. It's a rather attractive quality, isn't it?
[As he pours their cups, he takes a seat himself, leaving a pot with further brewing tea between them.] Well, let me tell you how we met. It began in a town called Posada.
[And so he tells the tale. The chance meeting in a shitty tavern in Posada; the hunt of a devil that Jaskier happily invites himself into. Their capture by the King of the Elves. Geralt's silvver tongue. Filivadrel's lute.
It is a good way to spend the time, because as he talks, he can't focus on worrying. And he makes sure to spin it entertainingly enough that, if not his full focus, than at least half of Jayce's focus is on him so he doesn't roil himself up too much, either.]
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cointosser) wrote2021-04-12 08:58 pm
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[ He is very polite! His momma taught him well. ]
That's appreciated, to be honest, we currently need all of our funds.
-Jayce Talis
[ To get their own workspace and pay back Goro. Big funds. ]
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Just come over, Jayce, I have no preference. I'm not leaving the house until Ciri's home, because otherwise I might lose my mind with the possibilities. And she'll kill me if I don't spoil Nixie.
[Her horse, of course.]
And let me know if you need the fees waived. I still owe Viktor for the spinny thing.
[The blender.]
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-Jayce Talis
[ True to his word, Jayce knocks on the door pretty much at ten minutes on the dot from when he sent his message. He has had a hell of a few days, but Jaskier is not meeting him at his worst, when Viktor wasn't talking to him at all. He still looks completely worn out and highly anxious, Viktor told him the whole story after all, but at least they're not at odds.
He has a slight six o'clock shadow on his handsome but weary face, and in the desert weather, he leans toward short-sleeved shirts rather than his full jackets from home. But much like Viktor, Jayce still wears a vest and tie most days, including today. He's in all whites and reds, the Talis colors. It's a style choice. While Jayce is tall at 6'4 and built broad, there's nothing intimidating about the way he holds himself. He is genuinely more of an academic than anything else.
It was a relief to read that Jaskier was also worried about Ciri, since Jayce is usually the one people accuse of worrying too much. He waits quietly, hands clasped behind his back.]
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He must be another Summoned, of course, but Jaskier doesn't quite have an image in his head of what this man could look like.
When he opens the door, he is caught off-guard. His mouth hangs open for a moment, before he makes a soft noise and licks his lips.] Ah. You must be Jayce?
[Must be. Melitele, look at the bulk of him. It's very rare Jaskier meets anyone built like Geralt, let alone... larger. (Goro does not count, thank you.) Jaskier, luckily, was already dressed to impress because it's simply how he is: a fantastic new collared button-up in navy blue with embroidered poppies by the sleeves, which he wears down even in the summer heat. Not for any other reason than he's grown used to it, and he dislikes when his scarred arm takes attention off his face.
He steps out of the doorway, inviting him inside with a sweep of his arm.] Come in, come in! You may as well stay for a bit of tea. My, you know, you look a bit familiar, now I think of it. [And so Jayce doesn't feel terribly trapped, he offers Viktor's cane over, already wiped clean of desert sand and grime.] Ah. I think you were working on a very large stack of paperwork. [When the Free Cities were considering their hard-won "cooperation" after more Singularity nonsense.
Fuck's sake. He hadn't gotten close enough to take in the bulk of him. Or that lovely, angled face.] As close as Viktor and I have grown in our times hunting pigeons, he never mentioned you were so handsome. A lack of oversight on his part, I imagine.
[Yes, Jaskier is capable of flirting even after a harrowing day of trying to figure out if Ciri was dead or not. In some way, he's even more likely to do so.] And you've heard from him? He's fine? I imagined he must be, as Ciri didn't mention otherwise.
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Yes, I'm Jayce, it is a pleasure to meet you, Jaskier.
[ He hesitates only a moment before stepping inside. Jayce did think he would take the cane and go, he didn't expect a conversation, but he's not against it. He has been fairly lonely the past few days, and since he is less of a mess at the moment, a distracting social call sounds nice. Also this is one of Ciri's friends, which means that he has to be a good person worth knowing. Jayce already had a good opinion of Ciri, but now she's at the top of his list.
Jayce appreciates good clothes, he knows the value of a particular image after all, so he does get a look at Jaskier's nice shirt and embroidery. It's pretty, not that he plans on commenting on it, but he observes. He takes the cane and a wave of relief hits him now that he has it. Good. Viktor will have this when he gets back. ]
Right, that. [ Jayce has the good sense to look sheepish. ] I may have gotten a little overdramatic, but I hate when people don't give straight answers.
[ So he had to report his displeasure even if it took him hours, because he also had to note that any kind of experiments on people without full knowledge of what they were doing was also dangerous and reckless. And he was not happy that Viktor was going to end up touching the unknown variable, so he had to be grumpy about it somewhere. Apparently bureaucratic tape is not done with him. ]
Oh ... that's ... flattering, thank you. And you know, back at you.
[ Despite the fact Jayce's face is on merchandise and blimps, and he's had so many people comment on his attractiveness, it still feels surprising every time it's mentioned. Not only surprising, but he flusters, running a hand through his hair. He is clearly very bad at giving compliments back. The man can go on lectures, chatter excitedly about science, give speeches, but flirt a little with him and he's out of his depth. ]
He's as well as he can be. I'm glad the cane got here, I was ready to make him another one, but this is easier.
[ Yes, Jayce made this cane, which is why it is of incredibly good quality, compared to what Viktor was carrying around before he got there. It is precisely designed too. ]
I'm a blacksmith too. I'm making Ciri a replacement sword.
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Ah. Thank you.
[He gives Jayce a little wink, and honestly, it's a good distraction. A bit of flattery, a bit of a fluster from a handsome man. Clearly he's already weak in the knees for Jaskier. Who could blame him? He wouldn't be surprised if Jayce knew his name well already, considering his work performing. Or did Jayce not attend his concert?
Hmm.]
You make canes? [That's. Oddly specific. Or -- ah. A blacksmith. He makes swords, too, apparently.] Anything long and hefty in the hand, eh? [He smiles again, but this time when he looks away, it drops far faster than before. Blacksmith. Like Hector had been. Has this Jayce taken over his forge? Jaskier wouldn't know. He avoids it now.] Oh. Wait. Ciri lost her sword? [He looks back.] Well, fuck me. The one Geralt gave to her! Things must have been, ah, rather rowdy. Did she tell you what happened?
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Not really. [ Innuendo is completely lost on him, Jaskier. ] I make a lot of things. I usually preferred to physically make all of our inventions back home.
[ Viktor has always been better at precise things, but Jayce usually did the bigger pieces and he felt he was better at following their instructions than anyone they could hire otherwise. The initial hexgates were made by them, although by the time it was the large ones, that was a group effort.
Jayce looks guilty the moment he realizes that he revealed more about their adventure than Ciri did, because he promised her he would keep things secret. He doesn't know if her sword was one of those things. He is absolutely terrible at secrets and often talks without thinking it through. Whoops. ]
I didn't know it was a special sword. I'm making her a temporary one until we can meet and go over a design when she gets back.
[ For free. He'll insist on that, although she said she wanted to pay. Now that he knows she abandoned an important sword for Viktor, it's even more necessary to make it to her as a gift. Jayce crosses arms against his chest, giant on both fronts, and he's a little nervous approaching a topic he has to be careful with. But he can be vague. ]
No, not really, it must have gotten lost on the way to Aquila.
[ He's going to start sweating if he doesn't change the subject, so he focuses gold-brown eyes on Jaskier. ]
You're the one Viktor did the pigeon hunt with right? Where he found Purrfessor? She's our workshop cat now.
[ That's right, the cat's name is Purrfessor now. ]
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(Yes, he's still worried. And he knows it's ridiculous to be so.)
Jaskier tips his head, looking him over. Huh.] I didn't realize you were an inventor as well. [With all the blacksmithing, he had assumed he was, perhaps, only focused on... er, the making of things. "Our inventions," is it. Like a partner?]
Yes, that's as far as I understand. I recommended a coachman that should have them returning without any further incident.
[If that's all he knows, then it's better he asked to probe.] Purr-- my gods, did he really name her Purrfessor? [He laughs.] I knew he would have a soft spot for that raggedy beast. I am the very same one. Viktor's invention didn't technically win us our prize, but I think it was helpful enough in obtaining you a fine mouser.
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Oh, yes, I'm a scientist and engineer, like Viktor. It's how we met. Blacksmithing is a family business.
[ It's also the reason Jayce is built like a brick wall, he's been slinging hammers and building things in the forge since childhood. That's a very easy way to add on bulk, and he's been doing it constantly since arriving in Cadens, so he's maintained that form here. He's otherwise a big nerd. ]
Thank you on his behalf, he was going to struggle without his cane.
[ Jayce laughs with him about the cat, he definitely heard about the somewhat embarrassing pigeon hunt, as Viktor called it. It sounded fun to him, but he's far more easy-going. ]
It's an inside joke, our mentor's pet is this animal called a poro, he followed him everywhere. His name is Porofessor.
[ They did share a mentor, although Heimerdinger's favoritism toward Jayce was well-known by the time Hextech was approved, and only got more so with time. It's a complicated relationship, given that he ousted him from his position, but he can still recall some warm memories, like that annoying little poro. After a beat, he smiles brightly, snapping his fingers.]
Wait, you're the musician, right? I knew I've heard your name from elsewhere too. I play the mandolin, not very well though, but I hear you're amazing.
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And Ciri is coming back, and alive.]
Porofessor. And here I took Viktor as someone who would not appreciate a fine pun.
[Actually, he's pretty sure he still won't, but Viktor probably thought he was being quite clever.]
Ah, of course you have. You have me pinned. Jaskier. [He bends at the waist, with a sweep of his hand. He's nothing if not theatric where it counts.] Master Bard, at your service. [And yes, he is amazing. Thank you.] But please, we're friends now. No need for titles. [Not that Jayce had a chance to even call him Master Bard --] If Viktor needs anything else, let me know. I imagine Ciri doesn't want to bear the full responsibility for any potential shenanigans she might have accidentally dragged him into. It seems like desert critters truly enjoy harassing Witcher companions, as I can fully attest to.
[That's, of course, all it was. Perhaps a few scrapes from a monster's attack. Certainly not transporting the two of them impossibly across space. Certainly not anything as such.]
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Viktor's actually very funny, but it's a deadpan dry type of humor. I'm usually the bad pun guy.
[ It took Jayce a little while to catch on to Viktor's particular sense of humor, since he is not a subtle man, and Viktor is all subtlety. He finds him hilarious now that he gets it, but Jayce really is the hammer to Viktor's nail. Direct, obvious, forceful.
He smiles at the bow and the theatricality, it's very charming. This is the sort of person that was actually meant to be famous, not the secretly awkward nerd being pushed into the spotlight. It's easy to admire someone who it seems to come so easily to. ]
I'm pretty sure they might both blame themselves more than the other.
[ He already knows that Viktor does, and Ciri seems like the responsible type too, who might see her being unable to protect him from everything as a flaw. ]
I offered to heal them both when they get here, from whatever this little adventure might have brought down.
[ Still being very general since he cannot tell how much Jaskier knows, and he is not going to reveal much. Jayce has been steadily learning healing magic since arriving and the Horizon gave him a boost, not to mention his regular studying with Nadine at the medicine academy.]
How did a bard end up being the traveling companion of a monster fighter, if I can ask?
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[Geralt has given him nearly an entire lifetime of it, and despite Viktor's lack of puns in normal conversation, Jaskier does find him rather humorous. (Mostly, it was watching his face as the entire pigeon rescue occurred.)
He laughs. Ah. Jayce is a bit perceptive, isn't he?] You know, I think you're right.
[Oh. He makes a noise of surprise. Healing? Really? Is it magic he brings from home, or one he's learned?] Good. I'm glad, honestly. I have very limited healing capabilities myself.
[Healing a small cut or a bruise. Stabilizing himself. That's about it.
Oh? Jaskier smiles, and it's clear this is a question that he loves.] Oh, it's quite the story. Should we sit and drink while we await our companions? A wonderful way to pass the time. I've known the Witcher for a very long time.
no subject
[ Now there is a glimpse of dry humor from Jayce himself. He is very perceptive when it comes to people's feelings, empathic, one might say. He knows Viktor better than anyone, and he knows Ciri is a good person, so she'd naturally feel guilty for her friend nearly dying several times, even if it was pure bad luck. Neither of them is truly to blame, it really was a comedy of very dangerous errors. ]
I came out of the Horizon with a knack for healing and I've been focusing all my energy and training on it since. I always dreamed of having magic, it's very rare and taboo in our society.
[ Jayce has told Viktor that he feels like he was made for it, in a way. Maybe that's wishful thinking, but the way magic seems to work for him, it comes so easily, more than any skill he's had before. But it does come from a genuine place of love and passion; his dream come true. Every spell he's learned, a miracle. Jayce's healing magic grows stronger by the day. The determination to save the life of your partner is an excellent motivation. ]
Oh yes, it would be a distraction from worrying. Or working through my worrying. I have a tendency to get my anxiety out in the forge.
[ And it probably says something to how much worry and anxiety that might be that he is built like a brick house, working as often and as hard as he does. Jayce is warm and friendly and talking to someone instead of obsessively panicking over Viktor is worth taking the chance. ]
Geralt recently asked me to help him with some work, I don't think I've ever met someone who seems so comfortable with himself. At least from the outside he seems that way.
[ Jayce isn't assuming he can tell everything about a person from one look, but there was a certain calm from Geralt. Curiosity and stillness all at once. For someone not capable of the latter of those, it's admirable. ]
wrap it up here? :>
[Jaskier pulls out a chair from the dining room table for his new friend, gesturing to it. He sets the kettle to heat, searching for a matching pair of cups and tea packets. It's the way, after all. One must never tell stories with a dry throat, and -- well, Jayce doesn't seem the type to immediately go to wine.]
Then take a seat. We have naught to do while we wait. [And he doesn't mind gossiping about Geralt. He's built a career out of it, after all.] Blacksmithing work, I imagine? [Not a hard guess. The kettle whistles as he pours out it into a pot hand-painted with birds.] In some ways, he very much is. Perhaps "comfortable" is not the right term. It's more like... he knows who he is, and what he is, and does not doubt either. It's a rather attractive quality, isn't it?
[As he pours their cups, he takes a seat himself, leaving a pot with further brewing tea between them.] Well, let me tell you how we met. It began in a town called Posada.
[And so he tells the tale. The chance meeting in a shitty tavern in Posada; the hunt of a devil that Jaskier happily invites himself into. Their capture by the King of the Elves. Geralt's silvver tongue. Filivadrel's lute.
It is a good way to spend the time, because as he talks, he can't focus on worrying. And he makes sure to spin it entertainingly enough that, if not his full focus, than at least half of Jayce's focus is on him so he doesn't roil himself up too much, either.]
Thumbs up!